• Williams Sisters Set For Historic Singles Final At Australian Open
• Ryan Lochte Lands Swimsuit Endorsement Deal With Tyr Sport
• NHL All-Star Events Ramp Up With Three-Day Fan Fair In L.A.
• NFL's Pro Bowl Fan Fest In Orlando Includes Free VR Experience

A Serena Williams-Venus Williams matchup is now set for the Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday, the first such meeting at a major final since Wimbledon in '09, which was also Venus' "most recent Grand Slam singles final appearance." Serena said that she "did not watch" her sister's semifinal against CoCo Vandeweghe but was "well aware of the result before she walked on court" for her semifinal win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (N.Y. TIMES, 1/26). Venus, who is 36 years old, and Serena, 35, will be the "oldest two players to contest a Grand Slam final" (USA TODAY, 1/26).

Meanwhile, Roger Federer "continued his "improbable progress" to the men's singles final after beating Stan Wawrinka, and a "blockbusting showdown with Rafael Nadal on Sunday now seems tantalisingly close." Nadal "still has to overcome Grigor Dimitrov in order for that miraculous reunion to come to pass" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 1/26).

U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte has a swimsuit sponsor again, as Tyr Sport today will announce it has signed the embattled star to an endorsement contract. This comes five months after competitor Speedo cut ties with Lochte amid the Rio gas station scandal. Terms are not known, but the deal will last through the '20 Tokyo Games, which Lochte’s agent, Jeff Ostrow of ProPlayer Sports LLC, called his “one more chance to do this.” Lochte is currently serving a USOC/USA Swimming suspension for the incident in Brazil, with hopes of making his return at the U.S. Open swim meet Aug. 2-6. Tyr renewed its sponsorship of USA Swimming earlier this week.

NHL All-Star events begin today in L.A., with the Kings hosting the festivities as "part of the celebration of their 50th season in the league." The three-day NHL Fan Fair at L.A. Convention Center is "billed as a family-friendly celebration of all things hockey," and league sponsors will have a "huge presence in the convention hall." The Fan Fair will include "question-and-answer sessions with former NHL players and current insiders" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/26).

ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex hosts the Pro Bowl Experience this week around the game in Orlando, and the NFL has lined up a "couple of technology-based attractions." A VR experience "allows you to choose from several teams," and "once the fan is under the hood, there’s a 360-degree view at a game, a practice or in a stadium." The fan event also features "several stations for fans to test their skills." The VR experiences and other stations are "free to attend." The event runs Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/26).

UC San Diego Health "has become the Padres' medical arm," marking the first time since '81 that the team has a "new healthcare provider." A deal with Scripps Clinic expired at the end of the '16 season. The move is "not believed to be a result of the 30-day suspension" to Padres Exec VP & GM A.J. Preller after MLB determined the team "had withheld medical information" from the Red Sox. UC San Diego has "gained a significant partnership after losing" its deal with the Chargers when the NFL team relocated to L.A. (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/26). 

Meanwhile, St. John's Univ. announced a deal making New York-Presbyterian Queens the official hospital of Red Storm Athletics (St. John's).

Patriot TE Rob Gronkowski stars in a new show on Verizon's go90 streaming service called "MVP (Most Valuable Partner)," which debuted yesterday. The 18-episode series, which Gronkowski is producing with INE Entertainment, "gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch pro athletes like Terrell Owens, Marshall Faulk, Kevin Durant and Antonio Brown." New episodes go live every Wednesday (USMAGAZINE.com, 1/25).

ROLLING STONE takes a closer look at Gronkowski's off-the-field business and charitable endeavors: "The Softer, Smarter Side Of Gronk." 

The Winter X Games get underway today at Aspen's Buttermilk Mountain, and ESPN has made several changes to this year's TV presentation. One "major piece" is having former snowboarder Jack Mitrani and Allison Hagendorf as co-hosts. The net is "working with Echo Entertainment to provide 16 hours of live coverage of the four-day event." The telecasts will feature "more athlete profiles and a greater emphasis on the music festival, which features performances by Bassnectar, Anderson .Paak, The Chainsmokers and G-Eazy." ESPN VP/X Games Tim Reed said, "The event itself has grown to be more than just sports" (ASPEN TIMES, 1/26).

St. Louis Univ. last night unveiled another new Billiken mascot, four months after the first attempted reboot "drew social media ire from fans." During the halftime reveal in a men's basketball home game against UMass, fans "seemed pleased with the new 'Bill.'" The "first reboot was called everything from a mutated frog to 'the stuff of nightmares' back in September." The latest version is "all white instead of two-toned like the last one," and its "eyes are open, rather than one winking" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/26).

The Warriors-Hornets game last night drew 19,639 fans, marking an "NBA game record for the Spectrum Center" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/26).

Data from StubHub shows that with only 11 days to go before Super Bowl LI, the average price of a ticket is is $5,089, down 8% from last year at the same time (N.Y. POST, 1/26).

UFC 210 has been scheduled for KeyBank Center on April 8, marking the outfit's "first appearance in Buffalo" since UFC 7 in '95 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/26).

Driver Denny Hamlin said that he "hasn't signed a new contract yet with Joe Gibbs Racing" for the '17 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but he "hopes to soon" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/26).

The MLL Charlotte Hounds named local firm Legion Brewing its official beer sponsor for '17 (THE DAILY).

"It must have been voter fraud because I would bet JaVale McGee really got three million. Him and A.J. Hammons probably split that. I know I was registered with five different teams and I'm not eligible to vote" – Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, joking about NBA players and their votes for the All-Star Game (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/26).

"At this point in the year, as we’re really getting going and hitting our stride, I think a 59 rises up and pulls more people into the PGA Tour. So I look at it as a positive" – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, on Tour players carding three rounds of 59 or better in the past six months (GOLCHANNEL.com, 1/25).

"I can’t tell you exactly the date, but I can tell you that the UFC will be on Long Island at some point" – Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CEO Brett Yormark, on an event coming to a new Nassau Coliseum (NEWSDAY, 1/26).

"Boring. Dumb. Stupid. Ridiculous. 2017 transparency. Stupid" – Xavier men's basketball coach Chris Mack, on the new NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket preview show scheduled for March 12 (CINCINNATI.com, 1/25).

The SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE argues there was a "missed chance" for the NFL to keep the Chargers in San Diego and the Raiders in Oakland. The answer "should've been for the League to pay for its own football palaces in each city."

In light of the Patriots-vs.-Roger Goodell subplot around this year's Super Bowl, the BOSTON HERALD goes with the header, "For Real Lombardi Trophy Tension, Look At Pete Rozelle And Al Davis At Super Bowl XV."

Also:

• Tiger Woods, Dan Gilbert could be key to PGA Tour's return to Michigan.
• Clippers taking more scientific approach to preventing injuries.
• Positives outweigh negatives for WNBA stars playing overseas. 
• Brandiose helps minor-league teams craft memorable names, logos.
• USTA President Katrina Adams aims to diversify the sport.
• LPGA exec Heather Daly-Donofrio profiled by ESPNW.com.

Soldier Field will host the MLS All-Star Game this summer, sources confirm. 1st time in Chicago area since 2006. https://t.co/q40EFhbGoX

— Danny Ecker (@DannyEcker) January 26, 2017

#bloomberg Kraft Heinz is giving salaried US workers day off after Super Bowl, hopes to get more publicity than a 30-second ad for the game

— Brad Adgate (@badgate) January 26, 2017

Nevada Gaming Control has not been contacted by either the NFL or NHL regarding betting on Vegas-based franchises at state's legal books.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) January 26, 2017

Chris Fowler + Chrissy Evert might be one of my favorite broadcast teams. So much knowledge for viewers to soak up.

— Kami Mattioli (@kmattio) January 26, 2017

The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will hold the second annual Total Health Forum in L.A. Scheduled participants will include NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Kaiser Permanente Chair Bernard Tyson, Clippers G Chris Paul, Storm G Sue Bird and Basketball HOFers Jerry West and James Worthy. ESPN's Rachel Nichols will emcee.

A 2-minute hit on the stories you need to know ... Subscribe on iTunes ... Check out our podcast home.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Religious Groups.”

“Their name comes from the Greek word for ‘Egyptian.’”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy” featured the category “Sports Abbreviations.”

$200: “It happens following another score: PAT.”
$400: “In skiing it’s all downhill with obstacles: GS.”
$600: “A group for pugilists: WBC.”
$800: “Bad designation for a NASCAR driver: DNF.”
$1000: “Successes in basketball as well as football: FGM.”

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said, “Everyone is starting to get excited for the Super Bowl between the Falcons and the Patriots. Also, Lady Gaga will be doing the halftime show this year, and they’re saying that it could be the most expensive halftime show in history at $10 million. Then 3 Doors Down was like, ‘We would have done it for free’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/25).

“Who are the Copts?”

Correct responses to the “Sports Abbreviations” category:
   
$200: “What is a point after touchdown?”
$400: “What is giant slalom?”
$600: “What is the World Boxing Council?”
$800: “What is did not finish?”
$1000: “What is field goal made?”

Contestant Loren Lee Chen, a co-host of the “On The NBA Beat” podcast, won his second match with $16,139, for a two-day total of $36,038. During the interview segment, host Alex Trebek asked him about his podcast. Chen: “We just do two shows a week. Each show is focused on a particular team and we usually just bring in an expert, someone who covers the team for a living or someone who knows about it to give us the rundown.” Trebek asked, “How many followers do you have for your podcast?” Chen: “Not as much as I'd like right now, but we'll see.” Trebek noted, “Well, we did a little bit of publicity for it right now” (“Jeopardy,” 1/25).