ARYNA SABALENKA BATTLES BACK FOR FIRST WIN SINCE US
Aryna Sabalenka battled back from a set down to beat Rebecca Sramkova at the Wuhan Open, extending her perfect record to 18-0. The defending champion aims for her fourth straight title in Wuhan.
In her first match since winning the US Open, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 after trailing by one set.
She has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record in Wuhan, where Sabalenka is vying for her fourth straight title.
It was against serve in the first three games. Sramkova took a 3-1 lead in the fourth set after consolidating her second break in the third game with a hold. After 35 minutes, Sramkova won the first set 6-4 by holding on to her service games.
Sabalenka opened up a 5-2 lead in the seventh game after fending off five break points and then broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. With a hold at 15, the world number one served out the second set.
Before completing the victory with another break of serve on her second match chance, Sabalenka saved four break points at 5-1 and broke twice in the first and fifth games.
Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 after trailing by one set, will be Sabalenka's opponent.
The sixth seed, Hailey Baptiste, was defeated by Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) after she converted her seventh match point.
Jasmine Paolini won her 39th WTA main draw match after rallying from a one-set deficit to defeat Yue Yuan 3-6 6-4 6-3. Clara Tauson will be Paolini's opponent. In their lone prior head-to-head encounter, the Italian player is ahead 1-0. Since the format's inception in 2009, Paolini has become the fourth Italian player to earn 40 or more WTA 1000 hard-court main draw victories.
To advance to the round of 16, Elena Rybakina defeated Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania 6-4, 6-3.
Rybakina and Paolini both increased their prospects of making it to the Riyadh WTA Finals.
After making it to the China Open final, Rybakina will take on Linda Noskova, who defeated Naomi Osaka 7-6 (7-2, 6-3), to continue her strong Asian Swing form. Rybakina currently has a 2-0 record against Noskova after defeating her in the Brisbane semifinals (6-3, 6-2) in 2024 and at Roland Garros (6-3, 6-3) in 2023.
In 51 minutes, Coco Gauff easily defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-1.
Seed number twelve, Karolina Muchova, had to leave the game when she was behind Magdalena Frech 7-6 (7-1) 6-1.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC LANDS IN ATHENS AFTER HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPEN RUNNER-UP FINISH
After a historic loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic returns to his family in Athens to reset for the 2026 tennis season.
After losing his first Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic just wanted to see his family.
Djokovic landed in Athens on Tuesday, wrapping up two weeks away from home and marking his 38th appearance in a major final.
For the first time ever, Novak walked away from Rod Laver Arena with the runner-up trophy. At 36, he became the oldest finalist in Australian Open history, but Alcaraz stopped him in four sets: 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The match lasted just over three hours.
This was Djokovic's first tournament in more than two months, and even so, he showed why people call him a legend. He cruised through the first three rounds and reached the last 16 without much fuss.
In the fourth round, Jakub Mensik had to pull out with an abdominal injury, so Novak got a walkover and saved some energy for the big matches ahead. But things nearly fell apart a few days later. Lorenzo Musetti took the first two sets in their quarterfinal, and for a moment, Djokovic looked like he might be headed home early. Then, out of nowhere, Musetti retired in the third set, and suddenly Novak was through to his 13th Australian Open semi-final.
Next up was Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champ. Djokovic had to dig deep. Twice he came back from a set down and eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four hours on court. He fought off 16 out of 18 break points and weathered over 70 winners from Sinner, proving that belief really does go a long way. At 36, he marched into his 38th major final.
Djokovic left everything on court against Alcaraz. He started strong, but the Spaniard found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets, racking up five breaks. In the fourth, Novak saved six break points early on and kept pace, even earning a break chance at 4-all. Then he missed a forehand he’d usually make, and just like that, his shot at a fifth set slipped away.
Alcaraz broke late in the set and sealed the win, handing Djokovic his first-ever loss in an Australian Open final. Now, Novak’s taking some time off to be with his family. He’s expected back on court soon, probably in Doha, but right now, only he knows how his schedule will look.
WHO IS SAMUEL LOPEZ? MEET THE COACH BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ’S 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN GLORY
Discover the touching moment Carlos Alcaraz saw coach Samuel Lopez receive a trophy after his Australian Open victory.
Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something huge—he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets (2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5) to win the Australian Open. With this win, he joins the legends of the Open era, becoming one of the rare players to snag at least one title at all four Grand Slams.
Here’s the wild part: Alcaraz is just 22. Actually, he turns 23 on May 5, so he’s still got plenty of time. This marks his seventh Grand Slam title already. For a bit of perspective, Djokovic had only one Grand Slam trophy at Alcaraz’s age.
Since he’d never won the Australian Open before, Alcaraz didn’t really know the drill for the trophy ceremony. His coach, Samuel Lopez, got a trophy too, which caught Carlos off guard—in a good way. Their partnership has clearly paid off.
Talking to the media, Alcaraz said he loved that coaches get recognised with their own trophy. He hadn’t seen that before and thought it was a fantastic idea, since a champion’s journey isn’t a solo effort. Watching Samuel Lopez get his moment meant a lot to him. “It’s wonderful, and when I saw him there, I was so happy because I know Samuel has been working toward this moment his whole life. For me, he’s one of the best coaches—if not the best—you can have on a tennis court today. For me, it was a magical and incredibly special moment: hugging him after the last point and also seeing him there, with everyone recognising what he deserves,” Alcaraz said.
Not everyone was convinced after Alcaraz split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and started working with Lopez. Some experts doubted whether he could keep dominating the tour this year. But after Melbourne, it looks like Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. Even without Ferrero, he’s still leading the pack.
With three more Grand Slams coming up this season, it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. You get the feeling that we’ll be watching Alcaraz and Sinner battling for the biggest prizes all year long.