World number two Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina both crashed out of the Qatar Open on Thursday losing their quarter-finals to Maria Sakkari and Victoria Mboko respectively.

With his blackflips, one-handed cartwheels and quadruple-jumps galore, US figure skater Ilia Malinin's rip-roaring routines have proved a star attraction at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Spinners Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti helped debutants Italy to a historic first win at the cricket T20 World Cup with a 10-wicket hammering of Nepal on Thursday.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Winter Olympics on Thursday after refusing to back down over his banned helmet.

An All Blacks-heavy Canterbury Crusaders kick off their Super Rugby title defence against the Otago Highlanders on Friday as the southern hemisphere competition trials a raft of rule changes designed to speed up the game.