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George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of his team-mate Kimi Antonelli, while third place went to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The outcome of the race was decided by strategy during the virtual safety car period, which Mercedes used more effectively than Ferrari. Fourth place went to Lewis Hamilton for Ferrari. Lando Norris of McLaren was fifth, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who started from 20th on the grid, finished sixth. Oscar Piastri did not start after crashing before the race began. Oliver Bearman of Haas finished seventh, and debutant Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls was eighth. The next race of the season will take place on 13–15 March in Shanghai, where the Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled.

Iga Świątek advanced to the third round of the Indian Wells tournament after defeating American Kayla Day 6-0, 7-6 (7-2). The Pole won the first set without dropping a game. In the second set, Day was already leading 5-1 and was close to taking the match into a third set. Świątek, however, came back and forced a tie-break. The outcome of the second set was decided in the closing stages, with the Pole winning 7-2. The match lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes. The victory secured Świątek’s place in the third round of the WTA 1000 event. Her next opponent will be Maria Sakkari.

Iga Świątek will begin her campaign at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells on Saturday. The Polish player, seeded number 2, will face American qualifier Kayla Day in the second round. The match is scheduled for Stadium 2. It is due to start not before 13:00 local time. That means it will begin not before 22:00 Polish time. Świątek enters the tournament in the second round because of her seeding. The BNP Paribas Open will run until 15 March. A win in this match would send the Polish player through to the third round. It will be Świątek’s first appearance in this year’s edition of the tournament.

Competition at the Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 began on Saturday in Italy. The event runs until 15 March and features 79 medal events across six sports. According to official figures, 611 para-athletes from 55 delegations are competing in the Games.

The opening ceremony took place on 6 March at the Arena di Verona. The first full day of competition includes events in para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para ice hockey, para snowboard and wheelchair curling. The first medals of the Games are being awarded on Saturday in the downhill events in para alpine skiing and in the para biathlon sprints. Group stage matches of the para ice hockey tournament are also scheduled during the day.

Venues for the competitions include Milan, Verona, Tesero and Cortina d’Ampezzo. It is the first Winter Paralympic Games held in Italy since Turin 2006.

The Polish Football Association has scheduled the Polish Cup semi-finals for 7 and 8 April 2026. Third-tier side Zawisza Bydgoszcz will face Górnik Zabrze, while Raków Częstochowa will host GKS Katowice. The semi-finals will be played in Bydgoszcz and Częstochowa, with Zawisza and Raków listed as the home teams. A reserve date for the semi-finals has been indicated as 1 April 2026. That date falls one day after the World Cup qualifying play-off finals scheduled for 31 March 2026.

Raków are also due to play Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League round of 16, with those matches scheduled for 12 and 19 March 2026. The first legs of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals are scheduled for 9 April 2026. The Polish Cup final is scheduled for 2 May 2026 at the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw.

Kamil Majchrzak has advanced to the second round at Indian Wells and will play Novak Djokovic. Majchrzak will be the fourth Polish player to face Djokovic in an official singles match. Djokovic’s record against Polish players stands at 13–0. Łukasz Kubot played him four times between 2009 and 2011, including the 2009 Belgrade final and a fourth-round match at the 2010 Australian Open. Jerzy Janowicz faced Djokovic in the first round of the 2016 US Open and won one set in that match. Hubert Hurkacz played Djokovic eight times between 2019 and 2025 and did not record a win. In the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2023, Djokovic beat Hurkacz 7:6(8–6), 7:6(8–6), 5:7, 6:4. Djokovic has won five Indian Wells titles, in 2008, 2011 and from 2014 to 2016.

Magdalena Fręch lost to Australian Storm Hunter 6:3, 5:7, 3:6, and Hubert Hurkacz was defeated by American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6:7 (6-8), 6:7 (4-7) in the first round of the tennis tournament in Indian Wells, USA. Magda Linette was eliminated earlier. Iga Świątek and Kamil Majchrzak remain in the tournament. Majchrzak advanced to the second round after beating Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6:3, 1:6, 7:5. His next opponent will be Novak Djokovic.

Luke Donald has been reappointed as captain of Europe’s team in the golf Ryder Cup for a third term, ahead of the 2027 matches at Adare Manor in Ireland. Donald has previously won the Ryder Cup four times as a player and served twice as a vice-captain. He led Europe to victory in 2023 in Rome and at Bethpage. Rory McIlroy stated that Donald’s return provides a significant advantage for the team. McIlroy also expressed his intention to participate in the 2027 Ryder Cup, which will be his first on the island of Ireland.

Discussions continue about Jon Rahm’s eligibility for the 2027 event due to a dispute between the DP World Tour and LIV Golf. McIlroy described the settlement offered to players competing in both tours as generous and emphasized the importance of the team above individual players.

Kamil Majchrzak will play Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on 5 March at 20:00 Polish time in the first round in Indian Wells. Magda Linette is scheduled to start her match against Ashlyn Krueger on 5 March at 20:00 Polish time. Hubert Hurkacz is due to play Aleksandar Kovacevic on 5 March not before 22:00 Polish time. Magdalena Fręch is due to start her match against Storm Hunter on 5 March not before 23:00 Polish time.

Broadcast coverage of the ATP tournament in Indian Wells is available on Polsat Sport 1, Polsat Sport 2 and Polsat Sport 3, and on the Polsat Box Go streaming service. Matches from the WTA tournament in Indian Wells are broadcast on CANAL+ Premium, CANAL+ Sport and CANAL+ Sport 2, and on the CANAL+ online service.

Start times listed as “not before” depend on the length of earlier matches on the same court. The order of play can be changed by the organiser during the match day. https://bnpparibasopen.com/

Real Madrid and Brazil forward Rodrygo Goes has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear and damage to the lateral meniscus in his right knee. The club announced the diagnosis on 3 March 2026 after tests carried out by its medical staff. The injury occurred during a Spanish league match against Getafe. Rodrygo came on as a substitute in the 54th minute.

The injury happened in the 66th minute during an attacking move down the wing. The player finished the match despite pain. Real Madrid said he will not play again until the end of the season. The injury rules Rodrygo out of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico.