A deserving Japan reaches first Rugby World Cup quarterfinal

Japan got the chance to prove it was a worthy Rugby World Cup quarterfinalist and took it bravely with a 28-21 win over Scotland on Sunday to bring some joy to a host country reeling from a ferocious typhoon overnight.

The tournament host swept Pool A and will play South Africa next week. And it has form against the two-time champion, after producing the so-called Miracle of Brighton to upset the Springboks in 2015.

After a stirring comeback, Scotland misses the quarterfinals for only the second time and will go home.

Japan's Kenki Fukuoka celebrates after scoring a try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP PhotoEugene Hoshiko)

Japan is into the knockout stage for the first time, fittingly in the first Rugby World Cup staged in Asia.

Ireland placed second in the group and will play the defending champion All Blacks next week.

Winger Kenki Fukuoka scored a try in the first half and touched down again three minutes after the break to secure Japan a four-try bonus point with almost half a game to play at a Yokohama Stadium packed with 72,000 people almost entirely wearing red-and-white striped shirts.

Japan's Kenki Fukuoka crosses for his team's third try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

But then the game that almost didn't happen because of Typhoon Hagibis become a classic.

It was Scotland that ended Japan's hopes of a quarterfinal run four years ago. And the Scots rallied from a 31-0 deficit to draw with England in the Six Nations this year.

Japan led 21-7 at halftime with three tries after Scottish flyhalf Finn Russell strolled through some weak defense in the seventh minute. The new half had barely started when Fukuoka stripped the ball from Chris Harris and ran away to extend the lead to 28-7.

Japan's Keita Inagaki scores a try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP PhotoEugene Hoshiko)

That's when Scotland threw caution to the wind. Two tries in six minutes to front-rowers Willem Nel and Zander Fagerson narrowed the gap to seven points and set up a tension-filled last 25 minutes.

Both teams threw everything into attack and defended grimly. The Scots repelled 22 phases from Japan on the hour before a relieving penalty. But Scotland, needing a win to have any chance of advancing, just couldn't crack Japan's defense, either.

Three minutes from fulltime, first-half hero Kotaro Matsushima accidentally carried the ball back over his line, giving Scotland a five-yard scrum and a chance to equalize. But the Japanese defended their line, won back possession and wound down the clock.

Scotland's Finn Russell is congratulated by teammates after scoring his team's first try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A game at International Stadium between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. (AP PhotoChristophe Ena)

The game that caused so much angst for organizers was green-lit only on Sunday morning after the stadium was assessed and local authorities confirmed transport would be running again after cancellations on Saturday, when the typhoon made landfall.

The players from Japan and Scotland lined up on the field and, for a minute, the capacity crowd went silent.

That was to pay respects for the dead and injured from the ferocious typhoon. From the national anthems on, the noise didn't stop until well after fulltime. Then the celebrations really got underway.

More AP Rugby World Cup: https://www.apnews.com/RugbyWorldCup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Get ready for the 2026 Australian Open with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season on TV, who the defending champions are, what the schedule is and more:

Singles play begins next Sunday at 11 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Saturday EST) around the grounds, with the first match in Rod Laver Arena scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Saturday EST).

— In the U.S.: ESPN and Tennis Channel

— Other countries are listed here

Madison Keys of the United States and Jannick Sinner of Italy won the 2025 singles trophies. Keys beat the No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 for her first Grand Slam trophy. Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to successfully defend his title at Melbourne Park.

Sabalenka will be the top-seeded woman and Carlos Alcaraz the top-seeded man. They currently are ranked No. 1, and the tournament seedings usually follow the WTA and ATP rankings.

The Australian Open is played outdoors on hard courts at Melbourne Park, located along the Yarra River near downtown Melbourne. There are retractable roofs at Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. Women play best-of-three-set matches with a first-to-10 tiebreaker at 6-all in the third; men play best-of-five with a tiebreaker at 6-all in the fifth. Like at the U.S. Open and French Open, there are night sessions. The tournament is staged each year around the last two weeks of January, during the school summer holidays Down Under.

The Australian Open is introducing “opening week” where the Melbourne Park precinct will be open to the public from the start of the qualifying tournament, and live music will be staged every night at Grand Slam Oval. Fans can watch open practice sesions in Rod Laver Arena to see some of the sport's biggest names preparing for the first major of the year. Organizers are also expanding the so-called 1 Point Slam in opening week, where 22 professional players and 10 amateurs get the chance to play for 1 million Australian dollars in prize money.

First round of qualifying for the men's and women's singles.

— Jan. 18-19-20: First Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 21-22: Second Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 23-24: Third Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 25-26: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 27-28: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— Jan. 29: Women’s Semifinals

— Jan. 30: Men’s Semifinals

— Jan. 31: Women’s Final

— Feb. 1: Men’s Final

— Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka describes the season schedule as “insane.”

— Coco Gauff adds some context on the “worst” fans

— Novak Djokovic is cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association

— Venus Williams gets a wildcard entry for the Australian Open, at age 45

— Carlos Alcaraz ends his 7-year partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero

— The ATP is adding a heat rule like the one the women have had for 30 years

— Nick Kyrgios will do doubles time, but won't play singles at the Australian Open

Australian Open prize money has increased by 16% on last year to a record total in local currency of 111.5 million Australian dollars (US$75 million). That was up from 96.5 million Australian dollars in 2025. The women’s and men’s singles champions will win 4.15 million Australian dollars ($2.8 million), a 19% increase on last year.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus waves to the crowd after winning the women's final match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3, at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)