Djokovic falls

in quarterfinals

BRISBANE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was beaten 7-6 (6), 6-3 by big-serving Reilly Opelka in the Brisbane International quarterfinals.

Opelka served 16 aces including one to finish off each set and earned one of the biggest wins of the American’s career. The 37-year-old Djokovic was playing his first tournament of the year.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is preparing for the Australian Open which starts on Jan. 12. New coach Andy Murray will join Djokovic in Melbourne.

Opelka will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the semifinals. The other semifinal will feature Jiri Lehecka against Grigor Dimitrov.

WWE, Netflix marriage begins

LOS ANGELES — Nick Khan’s prediction becomes a reality on Monday night. The World Wrestling Entertainment executive said during earning calls in the past that he saw a day when Netflix would continue to evolve and enter into live programming, much to the consternation of Netflix officials.

However, Khan saw the hires that Netflix was making along with the streaming service’s offerings that could appeal to all family members. Now, one of those offerings is the WWE. The 1,650th episode of “Monday Night Raw” from the Intuit Dome outside of Los Angeles officially kicks off WWE’s 10-year partnership with Netflix.

The agreement, reached last January, is worth in excess of $5 billion with an option for Netflix to extend for an additional 10 years or opt out after five.

Jets talk with Vrabel about job

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Friday for their head coaching vacancy.

Vrabel is the second known coaching candidate to meet with the Jets, who announced they completed their interview with him. New York also spoke to former Washington and Carolina coach Ron Rivera on Thursday.

Vrabel is expected to be a highly sought candidate during this hiring cycle, and New York got a chance to sit down with him early in the process. New Orleans and Chicago also fired their coaches during the season and will likely be among the teams joining the Jets in searching for replacements.

The 49-year-old Vrabel served in a consultant role with Cleveland this season, but his contract expired earlier this week — allowing him to interview with other teams.

The one-time All-Pro linebacker who helped New England win three Super Bowl titles was 56-48 in six seasons as coach of the Titans, including 2-3 in the postseason. He was fired by Tennessee after a 6-11 finish last season.

Orioles sign Charlie Morton

BALTIMORE — Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton and the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract on Friday.

The 41-year-old Morton, the hero of Game 7 of the 2017 World Series with Houston, will try to fill a hole in Baltimore’s rotation. It will be Morton’s 18th major league season.

The Orioles also signed 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano of Japan this offseason to a $13 million, one-year deal. Baltimore lost its ace from 2024 in Corbin Burnes, who signed a $210 million contract with Arizona last month.

Morton has a career record of 138-123. He pitched 165 innings for Atlanta last year, going 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA.

He is one of four pitchers to make at least 30 starts in each full season since 2018. During the last four years with the Braves, Morton posted a 45-34 mark with a 3.87 earned run averaged.

In addition to the Braves and Astros, Morton has played for Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.Denver lose to Kansas City.

The Associated Press