Rising star Omar Jasika has demolished Chris O'Connell in straight sets to book his place in the final of the Australian Open wildcard playoffs.

• Eamonn Tiernan

Canberra tennis star Alison Bai is just two wins away from her maiden Australian Open berth.

Firebrand tennis father John Tomic has been involved in another ugly incident, scolding a chair umpire during his daughter Sara's match at the Australian Open wildcard playoffs in Melbourne.

Ajla Tomljanovic has been ruled out for the entire summer in another demoralising setback for the injury-hit Australian.

Sam Groth's horror year has continued, crashing out of the Australian Open playoffs with a five-set loss to Chris O'Connell.

• Caden Helmers

Alison Bai is one step closer to the main draw of the Australian Open, but she is treating it like just another local tournament.

Top seed Andrew Whittington has been knocked out of the Australian Open playoffs, going down to John-Patrick Smith in straight sets.

Sara Tomic has set her sights on a big 2017 after advancing to the final eight of the Australian Open playoffs.

• Michael Chammas

It was in Serena Williams' backyard, under the bright lights at Flushing Meadows, Angelique Kerber began to feel unbeatable.

The tennis journeys of Sam Groth, Omar Jasika and Andrew Whittington would barely have intersected before Monday but each found a path to the Australian Open play-off quarter-finals in the same way: five gruelling sets.

• Caden Helmers

Nick Kyrgios rates his rollercoaster year a successful one.

Marinko Matosevic has blown a golden chance to return from the tennis wilderness by losing a five-set clash to emerging talent Omar Jasika at the Australian Open play-offs.

Marinko Matosevic has blown a golden chance to return from the tennis wilderness by losing a five-set clash to emerging talent Omar Jasika at the Australian Open playoffs.

Troubled Australian star Nick Kyrgios rates his rollercoaster year a successful one, despite his season ending in an on-court meltdown that earned him a tour ban.

• Linda Pearce

Could Dominika Cibulkova be the New Year version of mature-aged 2016 star Angelique Kerber? Can the high-energy world No.5 carry forth her brilliant end to last season into the next? Might the diminutive "Domi", as she is known, become the next Kerber by forging a path from very good to great at Melbourne Park?

• Scott Spits

The accolades just keep coming for three-time Paralympics gold medallist Dylan Alcott. The 25-year-old has beaten a strong field to be named Australian Paralympian and Male Paralympian of the Year.

• COMMENT
• Linda Pearce

Laughed. Couldn't help it. There was just something amusing about listening to  Mark Philippoussis talking this week about possibly being the right coach for Nick Kyrgios if only Kyrgios can choose who the right coach might be. Philippoussis? Really?

Novak Djokovic lost his momentum in the second half of last season and was toppled as the world No.1 by Andy Murray because his work-rate dropped, the Serbian's former coach Boris Becker said on Wednesday.

Bernard Tomic believes he and Nick Kyrgios are misunderstood and have been unfairly targeted by the media.

Nick Kyrgios's 2016 ended with a tour ban but Rafael Nadal believes the 21-year-old Australian can turn it all around and that 2017 will see him continue to rise.

Mark Philippoussis says he'd consider mentoring Nick Kyrgios if the coachless and troubled Australian tennis star came a knocking.

• Linda Pearce

What will be the big tennis story of the summer? Roger Federer's reappearance? A Nick Kyrgios charm offensive? For John Newcombe, one component will be a successful comeback from injury for Thanasi Kokkinakis, even as Lleyton Hewitt warns that the young South Australian faces a "tough" return after what has effectively been a year away.

• Raphael Minder

The Spanish police arrested 34 people suspected of being involved in a criminal betting organisation that fixed tennis matches in tournaments held in Spain and Portugal.

• Chris Dutton

Tennis ACT confident Canberra has Davis Cup future despite being overlooked for the first round of the 2017 season.

The Sydney International will boast the strongest women's draw for a 32-player field in a WTA tournament in the past 12 months.

• Linda Pearce

Another substantial Australian Open prizemoney increase is imminent as it pushes towards the $50 million barrier, with only the finer details of the record sum's distribution still being negotiated by Tennis Australia and player governing bodies the ATP and the WTA.

• Linda Pearce, AAP

Lleyton Hewitt and Craig Tiley are tipping Nick Kyrgios to win back the fans after seeing a vastly different side to Australian sport's most polarising personality.

• Linda Pearce

Australian Paralympian of the year Dylan Alcott has joined Sam Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt, Nick Kyrgios and Sam Groth on the Newcombe Medal honour roll.

Argentina have won their first Davis Cup title, with Federico Delbonis sweeping past Ivo Karlovic in straight sets to complete a stirring 3-2 comeback win over hosts Croatia.