MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios says he's not fit enough to play singles at the Australian Open but will compete in doubles with his Australian mate Thanasi Kokkinakis at Melbourne Park.
Kyrgios, who played in the so-called “ Battle of the Sexes ” exhibition against Aryna Sabalenka last month, had been tipped by local media to receive one of the three remaining wild-card entries from Tennis Australia.
TA announced later on Friday that 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka and Australian players Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell had received them. The 40-year-old Wawrinka has already announced this year will be his final season on tour.
Kyrgios said Friday on social media he would only play doubles in the tournament, which starts Jan. 18. Multiple wrist and knee surgeries have limited Kyrgios to just seven singles tour matches over the past three years, with his ranking sinking to 670.
The 30-year-old veteran’s most recent singles match lasted just 66 minutes — a 6-3, 6-4 loss to American Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Brisbane International this week.
Kyrgios, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon final, said his body wasn’t yet ready for five-set tennis and he wanted the wild card to go to someone who could “make their moment count."
"After some good conversations with TA I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s AO,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m fit and back on court, but five setters are a different beast, and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.
“This tournament means everything to me, but I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count. It’s all building blocks, and I’ll be back next year and pumped to compete.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios laugh ahead of their Battle of the Sexes tennis match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (Amr Alfiky/Pool Photo via AP)
Nick Kyrgios, left, and Aryna Sabalenka interact at the net during their Battle of the Sexes match, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (Christopher Pike/Pool Photo via AP)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers announced their return to the playoffs with a 3-2 win over Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
Philadelphia pulled off a stunner in the opener when Sanheim split a pair of Penguins at the top of the zone, glided down the slot and then fired the puck by Stuart Skinner. Porter Martone, the Flyers' 19-year-old rookie forward, provided some needed insurance when he beat Skinner on a wrist shot with 2:37 to play.
Game 2 is in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Jamie Drysdale also scored for the Flyers, who hardly appeared intimidated by an electric PPG Paints Arena crowd buzzing by Pittsburgh's first playoff appearance since 2022. Dan Vladar stopped 14 shots to pick up the first postseason win of his six-year career.
“We’ve been playing big games for the last month, month and a half, meaningful games, must-win games,” Flyers forward Sean Couturier said. “We’re put to the test and thought we did a good job of preparing ourselves and being ready.”
Evgeni Malkin scored his 68th career playoff goal for Pittsburgh but the Penguins, the NHL's third-highest scoring team during the regular season, had trouble sustaining pressure against the Flyers. Bryan Rust pounded home a rebound with 1:01 remaining to get Pittsburgh within a goal, but Vladar stoned Anthony Mantha in the final seconds as Philadelphia held on.
“We got away from things that worked,” first-year Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “Part of that is intensity. Everything is ramped up in the playoffs. They’ve been playing that way for a while.”
The eighth all-time playoff meeting between the cross-state rivals may also be the most surprising. The Penguins' retooling under general manager Kyle Dubas unexpectedly picked up speed under Muse.
The Flyers — who arrived at PPG Paints Arena for their morning skate wearing T-shirts with sleeves that had “3.8 percent” printed on them as a nod to their slim postseason chances a couple months ago — used a scorching final stretch to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Philadelphia wasted little time keeping that momentum going. The Flyers held Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins in check while deftly countering to create numerous odd-man rushes.
The new kids helped Philadelphia match Pittsburgh hit for hit and then smashed the gas over the final 20 minutes, with Matrone's first playoff goal — in just his 10th-ever NHL game — providing the final difference.
“I think coming in here, I think the older guys have done a great job, not just with me, but all the guys on the team, showing us the ropes,” Martone said after becoming the youngest Flyer to score in his postseason debut.
And the ropes dictate that a promising start guarantees nothing in a best-of-seven.
“We won one game, this is going to be a long series,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. "Those kids, they were hooting and hollering a little bit, but they were pretty even keel.”
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin celebrates his goal during the second period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) cannot shoot against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) with Flyers' Travis Sanheim (6) defending during the second period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Penguins' Anthony Mantha (39) can't get off a shot with Philadelphia Flyers' Cam York (8) defending in front of goaltender Dan Vladar (80) during the first period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) checks Philadelphia Flyers' Sean Couturier, right, off his skates during the second period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Philadelphia Flyers' Nick Seeler (24) collides with Pittsburgh Penguins' Egor Chinakhov during the first period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
