SPORTS

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Serena Williams will be ready to make her tennis comeback at the Australian Open with her return to Melbourne for the season’s opening Grand Slam “very likely”, organisers said Wednesday. Williams, 36, won this year’s Australian Open while pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl …

 Uganda vs Zambia 6.30pm Kitwe, Zambia | THE INDEPENDENT | The 2017 Mopani Copper Mines COSAFA Under-20 Championships kicks off as the newest batch of young hopefuls in this age-groups seeks to add their name to the trophy. Hosts Zambia, who are also African football champions, will be among the …

Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | Russia was banned Tuesday from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee over its state-orchestrated doping programme, but clean Russian athletes will be allowed to compete under an Olympic flag. The sanction was the toughest ever levelled by the IOC for drug cheating and …

Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | The International Olympic Committee meets from Tuesday to decide whether to bar Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics for doping violations, in one of the weightiest decisions ever faced by the Olympic movement. The build-up to the high-stakes summit in Lausanne just 66 days before the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Holders Uganda settled for a goalless draw against Burundi in their opening Cecafa Challenge Cup Group B match at the Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega, Western Kenya on Monday. Uganda interim coach Moses Basena took a cautious approach to the match, between his youthful side and …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | As a red-hot Antoine Griezmann hopes to keep Atletico Madrid’s faint Champions League hopes alive at Stamford Bridge, the stage is also set for the Frenchman to showcase his talents to a host of Premier League suitors. Atletico need to beat Chelsea in London on …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola says he wishes Manchester City could face Paul Pogba when the Premier League leaders bid to re-write the history books in their huge derby with Manchester United. Guardiola watched his side equal a Premier League record by winning their 13th straight match …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | With Zlatan Ibrahimovic fit again and closely scrutinising his performances from the substitutes’ bench, Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is under pressure to rediscover his goal-scoring touch. Having scored 11 goals in his first 10 games following his £75 million ($100.8 million, 85 million …

Miami, United States | AFP | Tiger Woods capped his return to competition with a fine four-under par 68 on Sunday as red-hot Rickie Fowler won the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. Former world number one Woods, who once wondered if nagging back trouble would spell the end of his …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Antonio Conte admits retaining the Premier League title may be out of Chelsea’s reach despite an impressive recent run of results ahead of their midweek Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. The Blues fought back from a goal down on Saturday to beat Newcastle …