American football

• NCAA Bowl Games:
  • 2009 Texas vs. The Nation Game in El Paso, Texas:
    • The Nation 27, Texas 24
      • In college football's season finale, Florida Atlantic's Frantz Joseph, with a 26-yard interception and a 32-yard fumble return, led The Nation team to a 27–24 victory over the Texas squad. Joseph was also named the game's defensive Most Valuable Player.

Cricket

• India in Sri Lanka:
  • 2nd ODI at Colombo:
    •  India 256/9 (50 ov);  Sri Lanka 241 (49.2 ov). India win by 15 runs and lead 5-match series 2–0.
• Zimbabwe in Kenya:
  • 3rd ODI in Nairobi:
    •  Kenya 234 (49.3 ov);  Zimbabwe 236/6 (48.2 ov). Zimbabwe win by 4 wickets and win 5-match series 3–0.

Mixed martial arts

• UFC 94 in Las Vegas

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 13:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Women's singles final:
    • Serena Williams (2) beat Dinara Safina (3) 6–0, 6–3
      • Serena Williams wins her fourth Australian Open and tenth Grand Slam title, and will claim the Women's World #1 ranking.
  • Men's doubles final:
    • Bob Bryan /Mike Bryan (2) beat Mahesh Bhupathi /Mark Knowles (3) 2–6, 7–5, 6–0
      • The Bryans win their third Australian Open and seventh Grand Slam men's doubles title.

Winter sports

Cricket

• South Africa in Australia:
  • 5th ODI in Perth:
    •  South Africa 288/6 (50 ov);  Australia 249 (49 ov). South Africa win by 39 runs and win the series 4–1.

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Semifinals:
    • Costa Rica  1–0  El Salvador
    • Honduras  0–1  Panama

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia
  • Semifinals:
    • Denmark  22–27  France
    • Croatia  29–23  Poland

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 12:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles semifinals:
    • Rafael Nadal (1) beat Fernando Verdasco (14) 6–7 (4), 6–4, 7–6 (2), 6–7 (1), 6–4
  • Women's doubles final:
    • Serena Williams /Venus Williams (10) beat Daniela Hantuchová /Ai Sugiyama (9) 6–3, 6–3
      • The Williams sisters win their third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam title.

Winter sports

Basketball

• Euroleague Top 16, week 1:
  • Group E:
    • AJ Milano 76–74 Olympiacos
  • Group F:
    • Maccabi Tel Aviv 96–65 ALBA Berlin
  • Group G:
    • Panathinaikos 81–63 Partizan Igokea
    • Lottomatica Roma 75–88 Unicaja Málaga
  • Group H:
    • Fenerbahçe Ülker 48–66 CSKA Moscow

Cricket

• Zimbabwe in Kenya:
  • 2nd ODI in Mombasa:
    •  Zimbabwe 351/7 (50 ov);  Kenya 200 (45.1 ov). Zimbabwe win by 151 runs and lead 5-match series 2–0.

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Fifth place:
    • Nicaragua  2–0  Guatemala
      • Nicaragua qualify to CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia
  • 5th/6th Placement Match:
    • Hungary  25–28  Germany
  • 7th/8th Placement Match:
    • Sweden  37–29  Serbia
  • 9th/10th Placement Match:
    • Slovakia  27–34  Norway
  • 11th/12th Placement Match:
    • South Korea  31–32  Macedonia

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 11:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles semifinals:
    • Roger Federer (2) bt Andy Roddick (7) 6–2, 7–5, 7–5
  • Women's singles semifinals:
    • Serena Williams (2) bt Elena Dementieva (4) 6–3, 6–4
    • Dinara Safina (3) bt Vera Zvonareva (7) 6–3, 7–6 (4)

Winter sports

Basketball

• Euroleague Top 16, week 1:
  • Group E:
    • TAU Cerámica 99–77 Asseco Prokom Sopot
  • Group F:
    • Real Madrid 85–83 Regal FC Barcelona
  • Group H:
    • Cibona Zagreb 88–81 Montepaschi Siena

Cricket

• India in Sri Lanka:
  • 1st ODI at Dambulla:
    •  Sri Lanka 246/7 (50 ov);  India 247/4 (48.1 ov). India win by 6 wickets and lead 5-match series 1–0.

Ice hockey

• Champions Hockey League Finals, second leg:
  • ZSC Lions 5–0 Metallurg Magnitogorsk
    • Lions win 7–2 on aggregate

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 10:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles quarterfinals:
    • Rafael Nadal (1) bt Gilles Simon (6) 6–2, 7–5, 7–5
    • Fernando Verdasco (14) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5) 7–6 (2), 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
  • Women's singles quarterfinals:
    • Serena Williams (2) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) 5–7, 7–5, 6–1
    • Elena Dementieva (4) bt Carla Suárez Navarro 6–2, 6–2

Cricket

• Zimbabwe in Kenya:
  • 1st ODI in Mombasa:
    •  Zimbabwe 306/7 (50 ov);  Kenya 197 (46.2 ov). Zimbabwe win by 109 runs and lead 5-match series 1–0.

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 2:
    •  Panama 1–0  Guatemala
      • Panama advance to the semifinals and qualify to CONCACAF Gold Cup. Guatemala will play for 5th place.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  (teams in bold advance to the semifinals)
  • Group I:
    • Hungary  28–27  South Korea
    • Slovakia  26–27  Sweden
    • France  19–22  Croatia
  • Group II:
    • Macedonia  28–32  Serbia
    • Germany  25–27  Denmark
    • Poland  31–30  Norway
  • 13th/14th Placement Match:
    • Spain  28–24  Egypt
  • 15th/16th Placement Match:
    • Romania  42–38  Russia
  • 17th/18th Placement Match:
    • Argentina  23–29  Tunisia
  • 19th/20th Placement Match:
    • Cuba  27–34  Algeria
  • 21st/22nd Placement Match:
    • Kuwait  24–27  Brazil
  • 23rd/24th Placement Match:
    • Australia  19–23  Saudi Arabia

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 9:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles quarterfinals:
    • Roger Federer (2) bt Juan Martín del Potro (8) 6–3, 6–0, 6–0
    • Andy Roddick (7) bt Novak Djokovic (3) 6–7 (3), 6–4, 6–2, 2–1, retired
  • Women's singles quarterfinals:
    • Dinara Safina (3) bt Jelena Dokić 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
    • Vera Zvonareva (7) bt Marion Bartoli (16) 6–3, 6–0

Winter sports

Cricket

• South Africa in Australia:
  • 4th ODI in Adelaide:
    •  Australia 222 (48 ov);  South Africa 223/2 (38.1 ov). South Africa wins by 8 wickets, and wins series, 3–1 with one match remaining.

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 1:
    • Nicaragua  1–1  Belize
    • Honduras  2–0  El Salvador
      • Honduras and El Salvador advance to the semifinals and qualify to CONCACAF Gold Cup. Nicaragua will play in 5th place playoff.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • President's Cup–Group I:
    • Australia  24–27  Kuwait
    • Argentina  30–23  Cuba
    • Romania  32–40  Spain
  • President's Cup–Group II:
    • Algeria  30–27  Saudi Arabia
    • Tunisia  34–33  Brazil
    • Russia  27–31  Egypt

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 8:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 4th round:
    • Rafael Nadal (1) bt Fernando González (13) 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
    • Fernando Verdasco (14) bt Andy Murray (4) 2–6, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4
    • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5) bt James Blake (9) 6–4, 6–4, 7⁷-6³
    • Gilles Simon (6) bt Gaël Monfils (12) 6–4, 2–6, 6–1, retired
  • Women's singles 4th round:
    • Serena Williams (2) bt Victoria Azarenka (13), 3–6, 4–2, retired
    • Elena Dementieva (4) bt Dominika Cibulková (18), 6–2, 6–2
    • Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) bt Zheng Jie (22) 4–1, retired
    • Carla Suárez Navarro bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (21) 6–3, 6–2

Winter sports

Auto racing

• Sports cars endurance racing:
  • 24 Hours of Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States:
    • (1) David Donohue Antonio García Darren Law Buddy Rice
    • (2) Juan Pablo Montoya Scott Pruett Memo Rojas
    • (3) João Barbosa Terry Borcheller J. C. France Hurley Haywood
      • In the closest contested finish in the history of major international 24-hour endurance racing, the No. 58 Brumos Racing-run Riley–Porsche held off the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates-run Riley-Lexus by just 0.167 seconds after 2,616.6 miles (4,211.0 km).

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 6, Adelaide City Council Circuit, 90 km: (1) Francesco Chicchi Liquigas 1hr 42min 00, (2) Robbie McEwen same time, (3) Graeme Brown s.t.
      • Final standing: (1) Allan Davis 19hr 26min 59sec, (2) Stuart O'Grady at 25secs, (3) Jose Rojas 30 ...29. Lance Armstrong 49

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 2:
    •  Guatemala 1–3  Costa Rica
      • Costa Rica advance to the semifinals.

Golf

• PGA Tour:
  • Bob Hope Classic in Palm Desert, California:
    • Winner: Pat Perez 327 (−33)
• European Tour:
  • Qatar Masters in Doha, Qatar:
    • Winner: Álvaro Quirós 269 (−19)
• LPGA Tour:
  • HSBC LPGA Brasil Cup in Brazil:
    • Winner: Catriona Matthew 138 (−6)

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  (teams in bold advance to the semifinals)
  • Group I:
    • Croatia  31–25  Slovakia
    • South Korea  21–30  France
    • Sweden  30–31  Hungary
  • Group II:
    • Denmark  32–24  Macedonia
    • Norway  25–24  Germany
    • Serbia  23–35  Poland
  • President's Cup–Group I:
    • Spain  31–19  Argentina
    • Kuwait  27–34  Romania
    • Cuba  27–17  Australia
  • President's Cup–Group II:
    • Egypt  31–30  Tunisia
    • Saudi Arabia  15–34  Russia
    • Brazil  28–29  Algeria

Ice hockey

• NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, Canada:
  • East 12, West 11 (OT)

Rugby union

• Heineken Cup Pool stage, week 6:
  (teams in bold advance to the quarterfinals)
  • Pool 1:
    • Montauban 13–39 (Ireland) Munster
      • Munster, assured of a quarterfinal berth last weekend, secure a home quarterfinal.
  • Pool 2:
    • Leinster (Ireland) 12–3 Edinburgh
      • Leinster's win and Wasps' loss send the Irish through as pool winners.
    • Castres 21–15 London Wasps
      • A Castres try four minutes from time eliminates Wasps from European competition, which also assure Ospreys a quarterfinal spot.
  • Pool 5:
    • Bath 3–3 Toulouse
      • A dour draw played in a downpour at The Rec sees both teams go through to the quarterfinals.
    • Glasgow Warriors 13–10 Newport Gwent Dragons
  • Quarterfinal matchups (to be played weekend of 10–12 April):
    • (1) Cardiff Blues – Toulouse (8)
    • (2) Munster (Ireland) – Ospreys (7)
    • (3) Harlequins – (Ireland) Leinster (6)
    • (4) Leicester Tigers – Bath (5)

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 7:
  (seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 4th round:
    • Roger Federer (2) bt Tomáš Berdych (20) 4–6, 6–7 (4), 6–4, 6–4 6–2
    • Novak Djokovic (3) bt Marcos Baghdatis 6–1, 7–6 (1), 6–7 (5), 6–2
    • Andy Roddick (7) bt Tommy Robredo (21) 7–5, 6–1, 6–3
    • Juan Martín del Potro (8) bt Marin Čilić (19) 5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
  • Women's singles 4th round:
    • Marion Bartoli (16) bt Jelena Janković (1) 6–1 6–4
    • Dinara Safina (3) bt Alizé Cornet (15) 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
    • Vera Zvonareva (7) bt Nadia Petrova (10) 7–5, 6–4
    • Jelena Dokić bt Alisa Kleybanova (29) 7–5, 5–7, 8–6

Winter sports

College Football bowl game

• 2009 Senior Bowl, Mobile, Alabama
  • South 35, North 18
    • West Virginia's Pat White led the all-star South squad to a 35–18 victory in the annual game.

Cricket

• Sri Lanka in Pakistan:
  • 3rd ODI in Lahore:
    •  Sri Lanka 309/5 (50 ov);  Pakistan 75 (22.5 ov). Sri Lanka win by 234 runs and win the 3-match series 2–1.
      • Pakistan's 75 is the lowest ever score in an ODI at Gaddafi Stadium.

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 5, Snapper Point – Willunga, 148 km: (1) Allan Davis 3hr 28min 33sec, (2) Jose Rojas same time, (3) Martin Elmiger s.t.
      • Overall standings: (1) Davis 17hr 44min 59sec, (2) Stuart O'Grady at 25secs, (3) Rojas 30 ... 29. Lance Armstrong 49

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 1:
    • Belize  1–4  El Salvador
    • Honduras  4–1  Nicaragua
      • Honduras advance to the semifinals.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • Group I:
    • Slovakia  23–20  South Korea
    • Hungary  27–20  Croatia
    • France  28–21  Sweden
  • Group II:
    • Macedonia  27–29  Norway
    • Poland  32–28  Denmark
    • Germany  35–35  Serbia
  • President's Cup–Group I:
    • Argentina  26–25  Kuwait
    • Australia  10–42  Spain
    • Romania  39–28  Cuba
  • President's Cup–Group II:
    • Tunisia  28–21  Saudi Arabia
    • Algeria  28–22  Egypt
    • Russia  25–22  Brazil

Rugby union

• Heineken Cup Pool stage, week 6:
  (teams in bold advance to the quarterfinals)
  • Pool 1:
    • Sale Sharks 26–17 Clermont
  • Pool 3:
    • Ospreys 15–9 Leicester Tigers
      • Leicester's bonus-point loss is enough to put the Tigers top of the group. Ospreys would qualify as one of the two best runners-up after the next day's results.
    • Benetton Treviso 16–48 Perpignan
  • Pool 4:
    • Harlequins 29–24 Scarlets
      • Quins' bonus-point win improves their chances of a home quarterfinal.
    • Stade Français 24–19 (Ireland) Ulster

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 6:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 3rd round:
    • Rafael Nadal (1) bt Tommy Haas 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
    • Andy Murray (4) bt Jürgen Melzer (31) 7–5, 6–0, 6–3
    • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5) bt Dudi Sela 6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 6–1
    • Gilles Simon (6) bt Mario Ančić 7–6 (2), 6–4, 6–2
    • James Blake (9) bt Igor Andreev (18) 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
      • The top 9 seeds are all safely through to the fourth round.
  • Women's singles 3rd round:
    • Serena Williams (2) bt Peng Shuai 6–1, 6–4
    • Elena Dementieva (4) bt Samantha Stosur 7–6 (6), 6–4
    • Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) bt Alona Bondarenko (31) 7–6 (7), 6–4

Winter sports

American football

• NFL News:
  • Herman Edwards was fired as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cricket

• South Africa in Australia:
  • 3rd ODI in Sydney:
    •  Australia 269 (49.2 ov);  South Africa 270/7 (46.3 ov). South Africa win by 3 wickets, lead 5-match series 2–1.
• Zimbabwe in Bangladesh:
  • 3rd ODI in Dhaka:
    •  Zimbabwe 119/9 (37 ov);  Bangladesh 124/4 (32.3 ov). Bangladesh win by 6 wickets, win 3-match series 2–1.

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 4, Burnside Village – Angaston, 143 km: (1) Allan Davis Quick Step 3hr 29min 35sec, (2) Graeme Brown same time, (3) Jose Rojas s.t.
      • Overall standings: (1) Davis 14hr 16min 36sec, (2) Brown at 4secs, (3) Stuart O'Grady 15

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 2:
    •  Costa Rica 3–0  Panama

Rugby union

• Heineken Cup Pool stage, week 6:
  (teams in bold advance to the quarterfinals)
  • Pool 6:
    • Cardiff Blues 62–20 Calvisano
      • The Blues win secures them the top seed in the knockout phase.
    • Biarritz 24–10 Gloucester
      • Gloucester's defeat by more than seven points and Biarritz's failure to score four tries mean that both teams are eliminated.

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 5:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 3rd round:
    • Roger Federer (2) bt Marat Safin (26) 6–3, 6–2, 7–6 (5)
    • Novak Djokovic (3) bt Amer Delić 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 (4)
      • Following this match, outside the Rod Laver Arena, Bosnian and Serb fans fought one another, mostly by throwing chairs. (Fox News (USA))
    • Andy Roddick (7) bt Fabrice Santoro 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
    • Juan Martín del Potro (8) bt Gilles Müller 6–7 (5), 7–5, 6–3, 7–5
  • Women's singles 3rd round:
    • Jelena Janković (1) bt Ai Sugiyama (26) 6–4, 6–4
    • Dinara Safina (3) bt Kaia Kanepi (25) 6–2, 6–2
    • Alisa Kleybanova (29) bt Ana Ivanovic (5) 7–5, 6–7 (5), 6–2
    • Vera Zvonareva (7) bt Sara Errani 6–4, 6–1
    • Nadia Petrova (10) bt Galina Voskoboeva 6–1 retired

Winter sports

Baseball

• Major League Baseball news:
  • Tribune Company has sold the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and twenty percent interest in Comcast SportsNet Chicago to the Ricketts family for US $900 million, pending the approval of Major League Baseball.

Basketball

• NBA News:
  • Marc Iavaroni was sacked as the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, and replaced on an interim basis by Johnny Davis.

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 3, Unley – Victor Harbor, 136 km: (1) Graeme Brown Rabobank 3h 15' 35" (2) Allan Davis Quick Step s.t. (3) Stuart O'Grady Team Saxo Bank s.t.

Football (soccer)

• UNCAF Nations Cup in Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
  • Group 1:
    • El Salvador  1–1  Nicaragua
    • Honduras  2–1  Belize

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  (teams in bold advance to the top 12 stage)
  • Group A:
    • Slovakia  28–23  Romania
    • France  27–22  Hungary
    • Argentina  36–16  Australia
  • Group B:
    • Spain  23–24  South Korea
    • Croatia  30–26  Sweden
    • Kuwait  23–26  Cuba
  • Group C:
    • North Macedonia  36–30  Russia
    • Germany  30–23  Poland
    • Tunisia  36–25  Algeria
  • Group D:
    • Egypt  25–22  Brazil
    • Denmark  32–28  Norway
    • Serbia  38–29  Saudi Arabia

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 4:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 2nd round:
    • Rafael Nadal (1) bt Roko Karanušić 6–2, 6–3, 6–2
    • Andy Murray (4) bt Marcel Granollers 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
    • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5) bt Ivan Ljubičić 6–7 (4), 7–6 (8), 7–6 (7), 6–2
    • Gilles Simon (6) bt Chris Guccione 6–7 (5), 6–4, 6–1, 6–2
    • James Blake (9) bt Sébastien de Chaunac 6–3, 6–2, 6–3
  • Women's singles 2nd round:
    • Serena Williams (2) bt Gisela Dulko 6–3, 7–5
    • Elena Dementieva (4) bt Iveta Benešová 6–4, 6–1
    • Carla Suárez Navarro bt Venus Williams (6) 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
    • Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) bt Tatjana Malek 6–2, 6–2

Winter sports

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball:
  • The New Jersey Institute of Technology ended the longest losing streak in Division I Men's Basketball at 57 games by defeating Bryant College, 61–51. The school last won a game against Longwood University on February 19, 2007.

Cricket

• Zimbabwe in Bangladesh:
  • 2nd ODI in Dhaka:
    •  Zimbabwe 160/9 (50 ov);  Bangladesh 164/4 (44.5 ov). Bangladesh win by 6 wickets, 3-match series tied 1–1.
• Sri Lanka in Pakistan:
  • 2nd ODI in Karachi:
    •  Sri Lanka 290/8 (50 ov);  Pakistan 161 (34.5 ov). Sri Lanka win by 129 runs, 3-match series tied 1–1.

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 2, Hahndorf – Stirling, 145 km: (1) Allan Davis Quick Step 3h 46' 25" (2) Graeme Brown Rabobank s.t. (3) Martin Elmiger AG2R La Mondiale +2"

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  (teams in bold advance to the Top 12 stage)
  • Group A:
    • Slovakia  26–35  France
    • Hungary  31–20  Argentina
    • Australia  20–40  Romania
  • Group B:
    • Spain  22–32  Croatia
    • Sweden  30–19  Kuwait
    • Cuba  26–31  South Korea
  • Group C:
    • North Macedonia  23–33  Germany
    • Poland  31–27  Tunisia
    • Algeria  28–29  Russia
  • Group D:
    • Egypt  17–26  Denmark
    • Norway  26–27  Serbia
    • Saudi Arabia  24–26  Brazil

Ice hockey

• Champions Hockey League Finals, first leg:
  • Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2–2 ZSC Lions

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 3:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 2nd round:
    • Roger Federer (2) def. Evgeny Korolev 6–2, 6–3, 6–1
    • Novak Djokovic (3) def. Jérémy Chardy 7–5, 6–1, 6–3
    • Andy Roddick (7) def. Xavier Malisse 4–6, 6–2, 7–6, 6–2
    • Juan Martín del Potro (8) def. Florian Mayer 6–1, 7–5, 6–2
    • Lu Yen-hsun def. David Nalbandian (10) 6–4, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2
  • Women's singles 2nd round:
    • Jelena Janković (1) def. Kirsten Flipkens 6–4, 7–5
    • Dinara Safina (3) def. Ekaterina Makarova 6–7 (3), 6–3, 6–0
    • Ana Ivanovic (5) def. Alberta Brianti 6–3, 6–2
    • Vera Zvonareva (7) def. Edina Gallovits 6–0, 6–0
    • Nadia Petrova (10) def. Sania Mirza 6–3, 6–2

Winter sports

Cricket

• Sri Lanka in Pakistan:
  • 1st ODI in Karachi:
    •  Sri Lanka 219 (45.2 ov);  Pakistan 220/2 (45.5 ov). Pakistan win by 8 wickets and lead 3-match series 1–0.

Cycling

• UCI ProTour:
  • Tour Down Under:
    • Stage 1, Norwood – Mawson Lakes, 140 km: (1) André Greipel Team Columbia 3h 45' 27" (2) Baden Cooke UniSA s.t. (3) Stuart O'Grady Team Saxo Bank s.t.

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 2:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 1st round:
    • Raphael Nadal (1) def. Christophe Rochus 6–0, 6–2, 6–2
    • Andy Murray (4) def. Andrei Pavel 6–2, 3–1 (ret.)
    • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (5) def. Juan Mónaco 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
    • Gilles Simon (6) def. Pablo Andújar 6–4, 6–1, 6–1
    • James Blake (9) def. Frank Dancevic 6–4, 6–3, 7–5
  • Women's singles 1st round:
    • Serena Williams (2) def. Meng Yuan 6–3, 6–2
    • Elena Dementieva (4) def. Kristina Barrois 7–6, 2–6, 6–1
    • Venus Williams (6) def. Angelique Kerber 6–3, 6–3
    • Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) def. Anastasia Rodionova 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
    • Kateryna Bondarenko def. Agnieszka Radwańska (9) 7–6, 4–6, 6–1

Winter sports

Cricket

• Zimbabwe in Bangladesh:
  • 1st ODI in Dhaka:
    •  Bangladesh 124 (48.1 ov);  Zimbabwe 127/8 (49.2 ov). Zimbabwe win by 2 wickets and lead 3-match series 1–0.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • Group A:
    • Romania  30–26  Argentina
    • Hungary  24–24  Slovakia
    • France  42–11  Australia
  • Group B:
    • South Korea  34–19  Kuwait
    • Sweden  34–30  Spain
    • Croatia  41–20  Cuba
  • Group C:
    • Poland  29–30  North Macedonia
    • Germany  32–20  Algeria
    • Russia  36–31  Tunisia
  • Group D:
    • Brazil  32–30  Serbia
    • Norway  30–20  Egypt
    • Denmark  32–13  Saudi Arabia

Tennis

• Australian Open in Melbourne, day 1:
  (top 10 seeds results; seeding in parentheses)
  • Men's singles 1st round:
    • Roger Federer (2) def. Andreas Seppi 6–1, 7–6 (4), 7–5
    • Novak Djokovic (3) def. Andrea Stoppini 6–2, 6–3, 7–5
    • Andy Roddick (7) def. Björn Rehnquist 6–0, 6–2, 6–2
    • Juan Martín del Potro (8) def. Mischa Zverev 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
    • David Nalbandian (10) def. Marc Gicquel 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
  • Women's singles 1st round:
    • Jelena Janković (1) def. Yvonne Meusburger 6–1, 6–3
    • Dinara Safina (3) def. Alla Kudryavtseva 6–3, 6–4
    • Ana Ivanovic (5) def. Julia Görges 7–5, 6–3
    • Vera Zvonareva (7) def. Magdaléna Rybáriková 7–6 (2), 6–0
    • Nadia Petrova (10) def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6–3, 7–6 (3)

Winter sports

American football

• NFL Playoffs, Conference Championship Games:
  Conference rankings in parentheses
  • NFC: (4) Arizona Cardinals 32, (6) Philadelphia Eagles 25
    • The Cardinals book their first Super Bowl trip behind four Kurt Warner touchdown passes—three to Larry Fitzgerald in the first half, and the last to Tim Hightower after the Cards had blown a 24–6 halftime lead.
  • AFC: (2) Pittsburgh Steelers 23, (6) Baltimore Ravens 14
    • Thanks to Santonio Holmes' 65-yard catch from Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu 40-yard interception return, the Steelers will attempt to become the first team to win six Lombardi Trophies.

Badminton

• BWF Super Series:
  • Korea Open Super Series in Seoul:
    (seeding in parentheses)
    • Men's singles: Peter Hoeg Gade (3) bt Lee Chong Wei (1) 21–18, 10–21, 21–17
    • Women's singles: Tine Rasmussen (2) bt Pi Hongyan (4) 21–19, 21–19
    • Men's doubles: Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (4) bt Jung Jae-Sung/Lee Yong-Dae (2) 21–12, 24–22
    • Women's doubles: Chien Yu Chin/Chieng Wen Hsing (1) bt Lee Kyung-Won/Lee Hyo-jung (2) 21–19, 21–8
    • Mixed doubles: Lee Yong-Dae/Lee Hyo-jung (2) bt Songphon Anugritayawon/Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (4) 21–8, 21–7

Cricket

• South Africa in Australia:
  • 2nd ODI in Hobart:
    •  Australia 249/9 (50 ov);  South Africa 244/6 (50 ov). Australia win by 5 runs and level 5-match series 1–1.

Golf

• PGA Tour:
  • Sony Open in Hawaiʻi in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
    • Winner: Zach Johnson 265 (−15)
• Champions Tour:
  • Wendy's Champions Skins Game in Kāʻanapali, Hawaiʻi:
    • Winners: Fuzzy Zoeller and Ben Crenshaw (13 skins, US $530,000)
• European Tour:
  • Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    • Winner: Paul Casey 267 (−21)

Snooker

• Masters in London, United Kingdom:
  • Final: (2) Ronnie O'Sullivan def. (1) Mark Selby 10–8

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • Group A:
    • Australia  12–47  Slovakia
    • Romania  27–30  Hungary
    • Argentina  26–33  France
  • Group B:
    • Cuba  20–45  Spain
    • South Korea  34–19  Sweden
    • Kuwait  21–40  Croatia
  • Group C:
    • Algeria  19–32  North Macedonia
    • Tunisia  24–26  Germany
    • Russia  22–24  Poland
  • Group D:
    • Brazil  21–39  Norway
    • Saudi Arabia  18–26  Egypt
    • Serbia  36–37  Denmark

Rugby union

• Heineken Cup pool stage, week 5:
  (teams in bold advance to the quarterfinals)
  • Pool 4:
    • Scarlets 31–17 Stade Français
      • Stade's loss secures first place in the pool and a quarterfinal berth for Harlequins.
  • Pool 5:
    • Newport Gwent Dragons 12–15 Bath
      • Bath set up a showdown with Toulouse next weekend, with first place in the pool on the line.
  • Pool 6:
    • Gloucester 12–16 Cardiff Blues
      • The Blues, playing a man down from the 25th minute, come from behind and claim a quarterfinal berth with a converted try from Bradley Davies in the 76th minute.

Winter sports

American football

• NFL News:
  • Less than 24 hours after sacking Jon Gruden as head coach, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers replace him with defensive backs coach Raheem Morris.
  • The St. Louis Rams agree to terms with New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on a four-year contract to become the team's new head coach.

Auto racing

• Rallying:
  • Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile:
    • Cars: (1) Giniel De Villiers Dirk Von Zitzewitz 48:10:57 (2) Mark Miller Ralph Pitchford 48:19:56 (3) Robby Gordon Andy Grider 49:57:12
    • Trucks: (1) Firdaus Kabirov Aydar Belyaev Andrey Mokeev 49:34:46 (2) Vladimir Chagin Sergey Savostin Eduard Nikolaev 49:38:25 (3) Gerard De Rooy Tom Coldoul Marcel Van Melis 50:34:42
    • Motorbikes: (1) Marc Coma 52:14:33 (2) Cyril Despres 53:40:11 (3) David Fretigne 53:53:29
    • Quads: (1) Josef Machacek 68:22:06 (2) Marcos Patronelli 70:56:06 (3) Rafal Sonik 76:04:40

Football (soccer)

• Arabian Gulf Cup in Muscat, Oman:
  • Final:
    • Oman  0–0  Saudi Arabia
      • Oman win 6–5 in penalty shootout

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • Group A:
    • Slovakia  27–25  Argentina
    • Hungary  41–17  Australia
    • France  31–21  Romania
  • Group B:
    • Spain  47–17  Kuwait
    • Sweden  41–14  Cuba
  • Group C:
    • Poland  39–22  Algeria
    • Germany  26–26  Russia
    • North Macedonia  24–25  Tunisia
  • Group D:
    • Norway  39–23  Saudi Arabia
    • Egypt  22–30  Serbia
    • Denmark  40–27  Brazil

Mixed martial arts

• UFC 93 in Dublin:

Rugby union

• Heineken Cup pool stage, week 5:
  • Pool 2:
    • London Wasps 19–12 (Ireland) Leinster
  • Pool 3:
    • Leicester Tigers 52–0 Benetton Treviso
    • Perpignan 17–15 Ospreys
  • Pool 4:
    • Ulster Rugby (Ireland) 21–10 Harlequins
  • Pool 5:
    • Toulouse 26–33 Glasgow
  • Pool 6:
    • Calvisano 15–23 Biarritz

Tennis

• ATP Tour:
  • Medibank International Sydney in Sydney, Australia:
    • Final: David Nalbandian def. Jarkko Nieminen 6–3, 6–7 (9/11), 6–2
  • Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand:
    • Final: Juan Martín del Potro def. Sam Querrey, 6–4, 6–4
• Exhibition tournaments:
  • AAMI Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia:
    • Final: Roger Federer def. Stanislas Wawrinka 6–1, 6–3

Winter sports

American football

• NFL News:
  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire head coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen after a disappointing December in which they lost 4 games in a row and missed the playoffs.

Cricket

• South Africa in Australia:
  • 1st ODI in Melbourne:
    •  Australia 271/8 (50 ov);  South Africa 272/7 (49.3 ov). South Africa win by 3 wickets and lead 5-match series 1–0.
• Tri-Series in Bangladesh:
  • Final in Dhaka:
    •  Bangladesh 152 (50 overs);  Sri Lanka 153/8 (48.1 overs). Sri Lanka win by 2 wickets.
      • Bangladesh reduce Sri Lanka to 6 for 5 after eight overs, the lowest score ever recorded in ODI history at the fall of the 5th wicket. Sri Lanka fights back to take the Tri-Series with 59 runs from Kumar Sangakkara and 33 not out by Muttiah Muralitharan off 16 balls, including 18 runs in one over.

Handball

• World Men's Championship in Croatia:
  • Group B:
    • Croatia  27–26  South Korea

Rugby union

• Pool stage, week 5:
  (teams in bold advance to the quarterfinal)
  • Pool 1:
    • Munster (Ireland) 37–14 Sale Sharks
      • Munster get the bonus-point win they need to clinch first place in the pool and advance to the quarterfinals.
    • Clermont 43–10 Montauban
  • Pool 2:
    • Edinburgh Rugby 32–14 Castres

Tennis

• WTA Tour:
  • Medibank International Sydney in Sydney, Australia:
    • Final: Elena Dementieva def. Dinara Safina 6–3, 2–6, 6–1
      • Dementieva wins two tournaments back-to-back after winning the ASB Classic in Auckland last week.
  • Moorilla Hobart International in Hobart, Australia:
    • Final: Petra Kvitová def. Iveta Benešová 7–5, 6–1

Winter sports

Baseball

• Major League Baseball news:
  • MLB owners approve two rules changes:
    • All postseason games, as well as one-game playoffs, will be played to their conclusion. Games called due to weather will be suspended, regardless of the number of innings played.
    • Home-field advantage for one-game playoffs to break ties for division championships or wild-card berths will now be determined by head-to-head record, instead of a coin flip.

Basketball

• Euroleague, week 10:
  (teams in bold advance to the Top 16 stage)
  • Group A:
    • Air Avellino 79–75 Cibona Zagreb
    • Unicaja Málaga 92–69 Maccabi Tel Aviv
      • Málaga's win secure them top spot in this group.
    • Olympiacos 68–78 Le Mans
  • Group C:
    • TAU Cerámica 91–83 DKV Joventut
    • ALBA Berlin 59–67 Union Olimpija Ljubljana
      • ALBA clinch the last spot in the Top 16 despite their loss because Joventut also lost.
    • Fenerbahçe Ülker 90–86(OT) Lottomatica Roma