Iga Swiatek is dominating her Australian Open opponents the way no one has at Melbourne Park since Maria Sharapova in 2013.

Swiatek’s latest lopsided win came via a 6-1, 6-2 scoreline in the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Emma Navarro on Wednesday.

The No. 2-seeded Swiatek not only has not dropped a set so far in the tournament, but also has lost a grand total of only 14 games as she seeks her first title at Melbourne Park and sixth Grand Slam trophy overall. Sharapova was the last woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals having dropped fewer than 15 games.

“She does everything with 100% conviction and intensity,” Navarro said about Swiatek. “She has a different style of movement and play. It’s tough to not be sort of affected by that and not feel like, ‘OK, I have to do everything at the same speed that she’s doing it.’ So that was something, for sure, I felt a little bit today.”

Swiatek will face No. 19 Madison Keys of the U.S. tonight for a berth in the final. The other women’s semifinal is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, against her good friend, No. 11 Paula Badosa.

Keys, whose best showing at a major was getting to the title match at the 2017 U.S. Open, was a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 winner against Elina Svitolina and is into her third semifinal in Australia.

There’s an American in the men’s semifinals, too: No. 21 Ben Shelton got that far in Melbourne for the first time with an entertaining 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) win over unseeded Lorenzo Sonego of Italy. At his news conference, Shelton was critical of some of the people handling post-match TV interviewing duties.

Shelton was a semifinalist at the 2023 U.S. Open and now will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, on Friday.

Sinner was relentless against No. 8 Alex de Minaur, the last Australian male in the bracket, on Wednesday night, beating him 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

The other men’s semifinal Friday is Novak Djokovic vs. Alexander Zverev.

College athletics

Sonoma State dropping all athletic programs >> Sonoma State University announced that its intercollegiate athletics programs are being discontinued in addition to other severe cuts to address a budget deficit of nearly $24 million.

In addition, several academic departments and majors are being eliminated and dozens of faculty members are being laid off to address the budget deficit.

The school’s 11 Division II athletics programs are all being cut and teams will cease operations after the spring seasons.

The Seawolves’ teams that competed in the California Collegiate Athletics Association are baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and golf, as well as women’s cross country, track and field and volleyball.

University officials said student-athletes who choose to remain at Sonoma State will remain eligible to receive scholarships as long as they meet the current terms of their scholarship.

The late Larry Allen, a Pro Football Hall of Fame guard who played with the Dallas Cowboys and 49ers, is the most decorated athlete in Sonoma State’s history. The school’s athletic alumni includes current Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, a former Division II All-American who was the school’s only NBA draft pick.

Golf

Aberg cards opening-round 63 for PGA lead >> Ludvig Aberg shot a 9-under 63 in San Diego in what he calls his favorite place in the world, taking a two-shot lead over Danny Walker and Hayden Springer in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Aberg took a first-round lead on the PGA Tour for the first time after posting the best opening-round score of his short career.

Walker and Springer finished one shot in front of Lanto Griffin, Zac Blair, 48-year-old Zach Johnson and 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the highest-ranked player in the field and the winner at The Sentry at Kapalua, shot a 68.

College football

CFP title game has viewership drop >> Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game, was the most-watched game of the season. However, it was a double-digit drop in viewers from last year.

ESPN announced that the Buckeyes’ second national championship in the CFP era averaged 22.1 million viewers. It was the most-watched, non-NFL sporting event over the past year, but a 12% drop from the 25 million who tuned in for Michigan’s 34-13 victory over Washington in 2024.

It was the third-lowest audience of the 11 CFP title games, with all three occurring in the past five years. The audience peaked at 26.1 million viewers during the second quarter (5:30-5:45 p.m. PST) when the game was tied at 7-7.

Men’s basketball

No. 5 Florida overcomes 14-point deficit to win >> Will Richard scored on a driving layup with 4.8 seconds left to lift No. 5 Florida — down 14 points in the the second half — past South Carolina, 70-69 on the road.

Richard finished with 22 points for the Gators (17-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). He drove left from the top of the key and banked in the go-ahead layup.

Jacobi Wright’s desperation 3-pointer was off the mark as South Carolina (10-9, 0-6) continued its worst start in SEC play since the 2013-14 season.