Australia's Jay McCarthy claimed his biggest win as a professional when he took a thrilling second stage of the Tour Down Under in the South Australian town of Stirling on Wednesday.

McCarthy, from the Tinkoff team, beat Italian Diego Ulissi (Lampre Merida) by a matter of centimeters as both lunged for the line at the end of the 132-kilometer stage, finishing in 3hr 26min 40sec.

World number one Serena Williams Wednesday said she was eager for a rematch with Italian veteran Roberta Vinci, who crushed her hopes of a calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open last year.

"Always," she said, when asked if she was looking forward to facing her again. "It doesn't matter who I play, when I play. Win or lose, there is always a next time for me and for them.

Kevin Durant extended his remarkable scoring record on Tuesday with his 28th consecutive 20-point game as the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Denver Nuggets 110-104.

Durant, who finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, has now scored 20 points or more in every game since returning from a hamstring injury in late November.

He was recently again named the best footballer on the planet and now Barcelona star Lionel Messi has set his sights on an even bigger prize -- the end of poverty.

The Argentine and Colombian singer Shakira head a list of 17 well-known names recruited by the United Nations to promote its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Maria Sharapova Wednesday said she expects to be playing for years to come in her quest for Grand Slam glory after sweeping past Aliaksandra Sasnovich and into the Australian Open third round.

The on-song Russian, 28, shook off any early-season rust in the opening round and continued her impressive form against Sasnovich, crushing the 105th-ranked Belarusian 6-2, 6-1 with the roof shut on Rod Laver Arena as rain came down.

Furious Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini blasted Napoli counterpart Maurizio Sarri a "racist" and claimed his rival called him a "poof" following a fiery finish to Inter's 2-0 Italian Cup victory on Tuesday.

Mancini and Sarri clashed on the touchline after Adem Ljajic killed off the quarter-final tie at the San Paolo stadium in Naples in injury time to add to Stevan Jovetic's opener.

A late and controversial penalty converted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed a 2-1 come from behind win as Paris Saint-Germain edged past Toulouse in the French Cup on Tuesday.

Francois Moubandje had given Toulouse an 11th minute lead over a PSG missing several injured stars, but a David Luiz header from a corner on 54minutes and Ibrahimovic's 21st goal of the season two minutes from time kept Paris on course to defend their domestic treble.

Late goals by Ciaran Clark and Idrissa Gueye gave Premier League strugglers Aston Villa a 2-0 win over fourth-tier Wycombe Wanderers in their FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday.

Bottom of the Premier League and seemingly destined for relegation to the Championship, Villa had only managed a 1-1 draw with Wycombe -- currently seventh in League Two -- when the two teams first met 10 days previously.

A Dubai policeman could be jailed for at least six months for posting a video showing Barcelona star Lionel Messi's passport on social media, reports said Wednesday.

The incident took place at Dubai airport where Messi landed last month to attend the seventh edition of the Globe Soccer Awards, in which he received the prize of best team and best player, local dailies said.

World number five Rafael Nadal was sent crashing out of the Australian Open first round by fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in an epic five-set match on Tuesday.

Verdasco won the thriller 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in four hours, 41 minutes to hand 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal only his second ever first-round defeat at a major tournament.