AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:13 p.m. EST

Rybakina meets Sabalenka in Australian Open women’s final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka figures she’ll feel some jitters when she steps out on court to face Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. Saturday’s contest is Sabalenka’s first title match in singles at a Grand Slam tournament. Rybakina is familiar with this stage: She won Wimbledon a little more than six months ago. Sabalenka is seeded No. 5, Rybakina is No. 22. Sabalenka is a 24-year-old from Belarus, Rybakina is a 23-year-old who was born in Moscow and became a Kazakhstan citizen in 2018 when that country offered to fund her tennis career. Both are among the most powerful players on tour, using big serves and big groundstrokes to overwhelm opponents.

AP Source: Tagovailoa to miss Pro Bowl, still in protocol

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol and will not participate in the 2023 Pro Bowl, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced officially. Tagovailoa was diagnosed with his second concussion of the 2022 season more than a month ago, after a Dec. 25 loss to Green Bay. He missed Miami’s final three games, including a playoff loss to Buffalo.

Chiefs’ Mahomes ready for AFC title game against Bengals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes finished a full week of practice on his ailing right ankle Friday. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid pronounced his All-Pro quarterback ready to go for Sunday night’s the AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain in the first quarter of last week’s divisional-round win over Jacksonville, returning after halftime to polish off the victory. That sent the Chiefs to their fifth consecutive AFC championship game. They will face the AFC North champions on Sunday night in a rematch of last year’s overtime loss to the Bengals.

Column: Six Degrees of Wilks connects dots of NFL racism

The Six Degrees of Steve Wilks is a quick and easy way to connect the dots of racism in the hiring of NFL head coaches. From Kliff Kingsbury to Lovie Smith to Matt Rhule to Jim Caldwell to Jeff Saturday to Frank Reich, it shows just how hard it is for Black coaches to crack the top ranks. The NFL is down to two Black head coaches: Mike Tomlin and Todd Bowles. Even with four openings still to be filled, there’s little reason to be optimistic that much will change. Certainly not after the way things went down with Wilks.

Djokovic, Tsitsipas to meet in Australian Open men’s final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic will carry a 27-match winning streak at the Australian Open into the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas. That unbeaten run was put on pause a year ago when Djokovic could not participate in the tournament because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. That is just one of several non-tennis matters that have swirled around the 35-year-old from Serbia. He will be seeking a 10th championship at Melbourne Park on Sunday. He also hopes to earn a 22nd Grand Slam title overall to tie Rafael Nadal’s mark for men. Tsitsipas is trying to win his first major trophy. The winner will rise to No. 1 in the ATP rankings.

Wilks ‘disappointed, not defeated’ over Panthers snub

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks Tweeted said that he is “disappointed, but not defeated” that he didn’t land the team’s full-time head coaching position. The Panthers announced on Thursday they have agreed to hire Frank Reich as their new head coach. Wilks said “many people aren’t built for this but I know what it means to persevere and see it through.” Wilks’ comments come less than 24 hours after his attorney in a previous lawsuit alleging unfair racial hiring practice against the NFL blasted the Panthers for choosing Reich over Wilks.

Keyontae Johnson at No. 5 K-State to face ex-Gator teammates

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — There are still a handful of players left at Florida who remember watching Keyontae Johnson collapse on the sideline during a game in December 2020. They will share the floor with him again this weekend on opposite sides. The senior forward has an unspecified heart condition. He has helped the Wildcats reach No. 5 in the nation as they prepare to face the Gators in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Johnson is third in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.3 points per game, third in rebounding at 7.5 per game and is in the league’s top 10 in field-goal percentage.

Oh, brother! WWE star, Eagles coach ready for big weekend

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Mike Rallis and Nick Rallis grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs as professional wrestling and football fans. Mike Rallis is now better know as WWE star Madcap Moss. Rallis is the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Rallis is expected to take part Saturday in WWE’s Royal Rumble. It’s one of the biggest events each year for the company. Nick Rallis will coach the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Analysis: Nick Sirianni won over fans who didn’t want him

Nick Sirianni is getting his flowers figuratively instead of thrown at his face. The chest-bumping, sideline-prancing, expletive-tossing head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles has won over a tough city that questioned his credentials and mocked his introductory news conference when he was hired two years ago. Sirianni has the Eagles in the NFC championship game and now he’s becoming more popular than Rocky Balboa in the city of cheesesteaks and Liberty Bell.  The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday with a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history and second time in six seasons. Sirianni is leading the way with his swagger and an offensive system labeled “unstoppable” by CBS analyst Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Rodney Terry constantly auditioning as Texas interim coach

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas interim coach Rodney Terry is in the midst of a long audition. And the school at some point must decide whether he deserves a callback. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte isn’t discussing the search for a permanent replacement for Chris Beard, who was fired earlier this month. Del Conte also won’t say whether Terry is a top candidate. The No. 10 Longhorns share first place in the Big 12 and haven’t missed a step since Beard was suspended and then fired following his arrest on a felony domestic violence charge.