Teenage qualifier Naomi Osaka gave a bow to the crowd after moving into the Australian Open third round on Thursday, in a gesture to the hordes of Japanese fans supporting her.

It was a nice touch from a player who is enjoying an amazing Grand Slam debut and who represents the Asian nation -- yet understands virtually no Japanese.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka Thursday said she was feeling in great shape "body-wise, spirit-wise, everything-wise" as she kept up her scintillating form to reach the Australian Open third round.

The Belarusian former world number one was again in fine touch as she hammered Montenegro's Danka Kovinic 6-1, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena to progress.

Kevin Love scored 17 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers got back to winning ways on Wednesday with a comfortable 91-78 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Still smarting from a humiliating 132-98 home defeat to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, the Cavs rebounded to score an emphatic victory at the Barclays Center.

Australian tennis greats have urged the country's temperamental young stars to take a leaf out of "little guy" Lleyton Hewitt's book as the former world number one readies for retirement.

After the combustible Nick Krygios and Bernard Tomic's repeated brushes with authorities, retired Australian stars including Pat Rafter said they would do well to copy the hard-working Hewitt.

Defending champions Juventus will take on Inter Milan for a place in the Italian Cup final after edging Lazio 1-0 in the quarter-finals Wednesday with goalline technology summoned to clarify the winning goal.

On the back of 10 wins in a row in Serie A, Juventus grabbed the only goal of the night in the 66th minute at the Stadio Olimpico.

Rafael Nadal's coach and uncle Toni Nadal hasn't ruled out the possibility that the 14-time Grand Slam champion may seek a new or expanded coaching team in a bid to arrest his slide in form.

Nadal lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father's trial for tax fraud will begin on May 31 at a court in Barcelona, a regional superior court said Wednesday.

Messi, recently crowned Ballon d'Or winner for a record fifth time, and his father Jorge have been charged with tax fraud for allegedly failing to declare 4.16 million euros ($4.69 million) in taxes related to his image rights between 2007 and 2009.

Roger Federer said he hoped to erase his shock defeat in last year's Australian Open third round on Wednesday as he set up an eye-catching last-32 showdown with Grigor Dimitrov -- the Bulgarian once dubbed "Baby Fed".

Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam record-holder, was never in trouble against his Ukrainian practice partner Alexandr Dolgopolov in a clinical 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win in one hour 33 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

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.