Madison Keys' stunning Australian Open breakthrough, plus NFL watch guide and 'Challengers' snub

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Good morning! Persevere today.

There are plenty of tennis fans who dont remember the buzz that accompanied Madison Keys when she arrived on the scene.

And you really cant blame them it was 16 years ago , as Matthew Futterman writes.

But everything changed in an instant yesterday when the nearly 30-year-old American shocked world No.

1 Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open , 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, for her first Grand Slam title (with much of her home country still asleep).

Some context on Keys arduous path to glory: So it was particularly moving when reality set in after the win for Keys, now among the oldest first-time Slam winners ever on the womens side: Crying.

Laughing.

Happiness.

Madison Keys is experiencing all the emotions following her dream Melbourne moment #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/TZUSl1lOo9 Eurosport (@eurosport) January 25, 2025 A much different story in the mens final, which finished minutes ago as we type this Sunday morning.

Top seed Jannik Sinner cruised.

You can get all the details here.

Sinner now has three majors already.

Tonight, we will know the Super Bowl matchup.

It is hard to overstate whats at stake before that, though, as four teams battle to define personal and franchise legacies in a 60-minute football game.

Heres to parsing through the magnitude, along with some Good Bets (odds via BetMGM ): Commanders at Eagles 3 p.m.

ET on Fox A beautiful matchup, story-wise.

The rookie/prodigal son, Jayden Daniels , leading Washington to its first conference title game since 1991, against a division rival who made and lost the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

The teams split the season series.

Daniels can arguably cement his place as the best rookie QB in league history by becoming the first to ever make a Super Bowl.

Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts can make his second Super Bowl in four years as a starter.

Not bad.

Advertisement Good Bet: Commanders (+240).

Why not? Ive come up with so many reasons to pick against them and there are plenty, namely Saquon Barkley and the Eagles defense but they seem inevitable.

Bills at Chiefs 6:30 p.m.

ET on CBS This is Kaiju-on-Kaiju violence.

Two of the best quarterbacks and teams of this age have played to a lopsided record in the playoffs, as the Josh Allen -led Bills have never prevailed after Week 17.

Getting past the two-time defending champs at Arrowhead Stadium is hard enough for Buffalo to overcome.

I wonder: Do the Chiefs feel any pressure? A three-peat is on the line, but they are a dynasty win or lose here.

Also, this game could smash viewership records .

Good Bet: Chiefs (-2).

Sorry to Allen, but I just cant bring myself to pick the upset.

I imagine this ends in especially heartbreaking fashion, too.

The three-peat moves on.

Want more insights? Jeff Howe spoke to coaches and executives around the league for their predictions .

NFL coaching carousel winding down The Saints have the last open head-coaching gig in the NFL after the Raiders hired Pete Carroll and the Cowboys tabbed Brian Schottenheimer on Friday.

Schottenheimer, 51, has been with Dallas for the last three seasons and has spent 14 years as an NFL offensive coordinator; hes a qualified hire, to be sure, just not a particularly exciting one.

But in Las Vegas, conversely, the 73-year-old Carroll was coveted for his record as a culture builder who should be able to help level out the franchises turbulence.

A bonus stat to melt your brain ( h/t to our Mike Sando ): Carrolls 181 career wins are more than those of the last 14 Raiders coaches ...

combined! A rare in-season NHL blockbuster The Hurricanes surprised everyone Friday night, six weeks before the March 7 trade deadline, acquiring pending unrestricted free agents Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a three-team deal with the Avalanche and Blackhawks.

It was a painful but sensible deal for Colorado, which likely couldnt have afforded Rantanen this summer.

The 28-year-old is on pace for his third straight 100-point season, with 25 goals and 39 assists in 49 games.

High marks for Carolina in our trade grades .

More news Hi folks, its me, Hannah Vanbiber, your Pulse pop culture correspondent, calling to report an Oscars snub! The Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning, and the single sports film that had a shot at snagging some hardware the Zendaya-helmed tennis movie Challengers got completely shut out.

(It had been a favorite to compete in several categories, including score and screenplay.) But Im here today because of that pesky *, signaling a question that cropped up at Pulse HQ: Is Challengers even a true sports movie? Lets discuss: Case against: Challengers is about a love triangle and only incidentally about tennis.

Case for: Verdict: It may have been snubbed at the Oscars, but Challengers is a worthy entry into the sports movie hall of fame.

Agree? Further reading/listening: The NBA trade deadline creeps closer.

We have recommendations on what all 30 teams should do before the buzzer sounds.

I loved this, on Rangers center Sam Carrick and his sweet side gig : maple syrup.

I need a bottle.

Melanie Anzidei has an intriguing look into why Carmelo Anthony is testifying at an emotional trial about a soccer club in Puerto Rico.

Yes, Max Dowman is just 15 years old.

But watching him play soccer live, as Stuart James reports, is unbelievable, and Dowman appears destined for the first team at Arsenal .

Ralph D.

Russo writes a valuable guide to college football in 2025 .

Extremely helpful for me.

Try todays Connections: Sports Edition beta .

Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen previewed todays conference championship games on The Athletic Football Show.

Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify .

Most-clicked in Fridays newsletter : Our story on the MLB rule tweaks going into effect for 2025.

Most-read on the website yesterday : The recap of Madison Keys win at the Australian Open.

(Top photo: Mike Frey / Imagn Images).

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