China has begun its search for the next Li Na, and one of the juniors with the talent to replace the country's two-time Grand Slam champion may speak better English than she does Chinese.

Xu Shilin, who just turned 17 and goes by the English name Coco, was the first Chinese girl to be No. 1 in the world junior rankings and won the gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games last year. She has also told the Chinese media that her goal is to win a Grand Slam title before she's 20.

Qatar's handball team created history in the desert on Wednesday qualifying for their first ever world championships semi-final after beating Germany 26-24 in a superb encounter,

The win sparked wild celebrations among players and crowd, which included the country's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.

Max-Alain Gradel was the hero once again for the Ivory Coast on Wednesday as his thumping strike secured a 1-0 win against Cameroon and took the Elephants into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.

Gradel, whose late equalizer earned the Ivory Coast a 1-1 draw with Mali at the weekend, struck 35 minutes into the deciding Group D game in Malabo as Herve Renard's men went through in first place to a last-eight tie against Algeria on Sunday.

World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for two matches after being sent-off for lashing out at Cordoba defender Edimar during Real Madrid's 2-1 win on Saturday.

The Portuguese will miss home games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla in the next week, but crucially will be free to feature against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on February 7.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa faces a three-game suspension after being charged with violent conduct for appearing to stamp on Liverpool's Emre Can, the Football Association announced on Wednesday.

Costa seemed to deliberately stand on Can's ankle in the 12th minute of Tuesday's League Cup semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 1-0 to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Former Portugal and Real Madrid winger Luis Figo announced on Wednesday that he is to challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter in this year's FIFA presidential election.

"I care about football, so what I'm seeing regarding the image of FIFA -- not only now but in the past years -- I don't like it," the 42-year-old said in an interview broadcast by CNN.

Seattle take on New England in what promises to be a compelling Super Bowl 49 on Sunday, but the title showcase caps a season of turmoil in the NFL.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has been at the center of the storm as the league grappled -- often clumsily -- with charges of violence by players against women and children that put fans and sponsors on edge.

Chicago's Derrick Rose hit a step-back jumper with 7 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Bulls a thrilling 113-111 win against Golden State on Tuesday, ending the Warriors' franchise-record 19-game home winning streak.

The Bulls maintained a three-and-a-half game lead atop the Central Division, while two other divisional leaders — Memphis and Toronto — had more comfortable victories.

Madison Keys defeated one Williams sister Wednesday at the Australian Open. On Thursday, the 19-year-old American will try to make it two, and this sibling might be a little tougher, even with a cold.

Keys overcame a left thigh injury to beat No. 18-ranked Venus Williams 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and advance to the last four against top-ranked and 18-time major winner Serena Williams, who had little trouble beating last year's finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-2.

Branislav Ivanovic headed Chelsea into the League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Tuesday, settling an enthralling semifinal in extra time.

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Ivanovic rose to meet Willian's free kick in the 94th minute at Stamford Bridge to secure Chelsea's progress.