MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: The 23 year-old at least offered some defiance before she was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Wimbledon champion Simona Halep on a blustery Rod Laver Arena

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: One former tennis prodigy from Florida defeated a present one when fourteenth seed Sofia Kenin brought the run of Coco Gauff to an end.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic sent out a message to his rivals after cruising through to the quarter-finals, but 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff saw her fairytale run end.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: The quarter-final action in the men's and women's singles at the Australian Open continued on Wednesday.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: In the unlikely event of Dominic Thiem making it third time lucky in a Grand Slam final nobody could accuse him having it easy.

If Argentina do confound what would appear to be growing opinion and lift the World Cup for the third time on Sunday, do not expect to find coach Alejandro Sabella in the middle of the post-match party.

EXCLUSIVE BY CRAIG HOPE: Mike Ashley was hours away from confirming the £300million sale of Newcastle United last week only for the Saudi owners in-waiting to insist on a delay.

EXCLUSIVE BY MARTIN SAMUEL: The deposit paid by the Saudi Arabian consortium is non-refundable, meaning Newcastle owner Ashley gets richer even if the takeover is not ratified.

The Magpies are close to finalising a £300million takeover by a Saudi Arabian consortium which is backed by the country's public investment fund.

The Premier League club are nearing a change of ownership after a £300million bid by a Saudi Arabia-lead consortium was accepted by controversial owner Mike Ashley.

Sony's comic-book adaptation Bloodshot, with Vin Diesel, grossed an estimated $9.3million from 2,861 venues from Friday to Sunday in the US and Canada.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Jen Shears, 36, from Newfoundland, Canada, has been hunting since childhood and is now teaching her six-year-old daughter Aspen to hunt.

Dancing On Ice star Carlotta Edwards has reportedly fled the country amid the reports surrounding her husband Alexander Demetriou and his skate partner Maura Higgins.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: He's been married three times, imprisoned in both the U.S. and Australia, deported from Canada and exposed as a bigamist in the High Court in London.

Dancing On Ice stars Alexander Demetriou and Carlotta Edwards have reportedly  taken 'a break from their marriage' amid his alleged closeness with skate partner Higgins.

Last month Olympia Valance's boyfriend Thomas Bellchambers unexpectedly revealed she will be joining the upcoming season of Australia's Got Talent.

The Richmond Tigers defender, 30, who was going through a marriage breakdown, announced he was retiring to focus on his 'family and faith' in December last year.

The former AFL star, 39, tried on his wife Alex's royal blue gown from the 2009 Brownlow Medal while carrying out household chores on Thursday

She's the mother-of-four known for her incredibly toned figure. 

The Sunrise host was in the middle of a cross to the 8.30 news on Thursday morning when she spotted the man running by the studio window.

The Big Brother Australia reboot will premiere on Channel Seven in June, with sources revealing it's just four weeks away from debuting on TV screens. 

Nadeem Afzal, 51, of Chigwell, Essex, picked up the victim, who is in her early 20s, in London. Twenty minutes into the journey, Afzal exposed himself and asked her to touch him intimately.

Ebonnie Reid, 23, viciously bashed the woman during a boozy night out on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in June. The victim was waiting for an Uber.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez looked smitten as they celebrated her manager Benny Medina's birthday party at Papi Steak in Miami on Friday.

The couple attended the Whitney Art Party at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City with the likes of Kate Walsh, Julia Fox, Leyna Bloom, Pritika Swarup and Victor Cruz.

Teresa Palmer was spoiled by her husband Mark Webber on Valentine's Day. 

Domino's Pizza has lifted its net profit to $69.2million for the first half of the year - and it's all thanks to customers ordering in while 'binge watching' TV.    

Rita Ora put on an eye-popping display as she headed to the Miu Miu Paris Fashion Week show on Tuesday.

Businesses are using 'dark kitchens' to sell takeaway food online.They are being sold by people without hygiene training through social media and with no clear allergen information - posing a 'health threat'.

Australians are turning to comfort foods like butter chicken and Pad Thai during the coronavirus lockdown and eating dinner earlier than ever before, according to Uber Eats.

So Zara has been crying solidly about the fact that Tiff exists for about two weeks now and this doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

Industry chiefs have estimated the demand for taxis has dropped by almost 80 per cent as strict social distancing measures preventing all but essential travel confine Australians to their home.

CHRIS FOY'S WORLD OF RUGBY: Wayne Pivac has to pick him. How can he resist? Wales' head coach must decide in the next 48 hours if he believes 'if you're good enough, you're old enough.'

CRAIG HOPE AT THE HAWTHORNS: Free-scoring Newcastle United are into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup - now there is a statement that requires a double-take.

Tettey, 33, has become a cult figure in Norfolk since signing from Rennes in 2012 and the midfielder has made 19 Premier League appearances this season, scoring once.

Norwich midfielder Alexander Tettey has claimed that Tottenham's style of play has changed immensely under Jose Mourinho and accused the Portuguese of having a negative approach. 

After shooting onto the scene in 2017, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has achieved everything that a young academy player dreams of in his career and he is just 21 years old.

Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori has labelled Atalanta's Champions League clash with Valencia a 'biological bomb' as he believes it caused the coronavirus to spread in Italy and Spain.   

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been backed to become the Premier League's best right back one day, surpassing Gary Neville. That's the view of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher.

PETE JENSON IN SPAIN: Proposals to take the current La Liga table as final and use them to decide European places for next season has sent shockwaves through the Spanish game.

Former Liverpool youth team coach Michael Beale touted Trent Alexander-Arnold as the next big thing from the moment he saw him playing at centre-back for the Reds Under 14 academy side

Gary Neville was a shock appointment for the LaLiga side in December 2015, having previously worked as England assistant manager and as a pundit for Sky Sports after retiring.

Arsenal are among those on transfer alert after teenager Orkun Kokcu told Feyenoord he wants to leave. He still has three years left on his contract with the Dutch side.

Giggs won plenty of silverware under Ferguson at Old Trafford including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League wins, but it is Van Gaal who he claims has shaped his managerial style.

Following Ferguson's retirement, United have endured a long slump away from England and Europe's elite but would that still have been the case if Ferguson's bold plans had come to light.

The daughter of an American pilot who died while fighting fires in New South Wales has paid tribute to her 'wonderful dad'.

Alex Neil is the man Stoke City want as their next manager following the dismissal of Nathan Jones on Friday. The Potters currently find themselves in the relegation zone following a poor start.

Preston reacted angrily to widespread reports that Neil was Stoke's favoured choice and that he was ready to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Championship's bottom placed club.

PETER CROUCH: It's the final Saturday of the decade, so what better time to reflect on the 10 years just gone? I wanted to look back on the highs and lows I've experienced in football.

He was forced off at half-time after an awkward landing having tripped over Hull's Daniel Batty and will miss the rest of the season before sitting out this summer's tournament in addition.