Friday, January 30, 2026

AO26 - The Day Before the Day












=AO NOTES=
...the first champions of AO26 were crowned at the start of the day, and they gave the home fans something to cheer for.



Facing off against the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic & Manuel Guinard, Aussies Olivia Gadecki & John Peers successfully defended the crown they won a year ago with a 4-6/6-3 (10-8) victory that made them the first repeat AO MX champions since Jana Novotna & Jim Pugh won back-to-back in 1988-89. They're the first all-Aussie team to do it Down Under in 62 years (Margaret Court/Ken Fletcher 1962-63).



While both of Gadecki's two career slam wins have come in the AO MX, Peers now has a total of four, having also won the 2017 AO men's doubles and '22 U.S. MX with another Aussie, Storm Hunter.

...since her return to action last spring after hip surgery, Diede de Groot has seen most of her slam winning streaks come to an end (just like her dominant run over Yui Kamiji) as she's had to work her way back into form on the court. 2025 was the first season since her 2017 debut that she didn't win a major title in either singles or doubles. The one streak that *didn't* end, since she hadn't recovered enough to play in Melbourne a year ago, was her stretch as the reigning AO wheelchair singles champion. And after playing in the semifinals today, that streak is *still* intact.

De Groot advanced to her 27th career slam singles final with a 6-4/3-6/7-6(11-9) win over #4 Wang Ziying, who'd beaten her earlier this month in another tournament. Now with 17 consecutive match wins in Melbourne, de Groot will play for her fifth AO crown in her last five appearances. She already owns the women's WC record for most slam singles titles with 23, and a win for career slam title #43 (w/ her 19 wins in doubles) would break her tie with Hall of Famer Esther Vergeer for the most combined major titles by a woman in wheelchair tennis history.

She won't be facing off with #1 Yui Kamiji in the final, though, and it will instead be #3 Li Xiaohui, the same woman who ended de Groot's 145-match singles winning streak in 2024, and 52 consecutive slam match streak at last year's Roland Garros.

Li rallied to reach her second straight slam singles final (after a U.S. Open loss to Kamiji last summer) with a 3-6/6-2/7-6(10-8) win over the world #1, avenging what were *four* slam defeats in singles at the hands of Kamiji last year. With an additional victory over de Groot, Li would join Wang Ziying (the '25 Wimbledon winner) as the only Chinese women to claim slam singles trophies.

Last year, Li & Wang's AO doubles title run made them the first Chinese players to win a wheelchair major, and they went on to claim three of the season's four slam crowns. Today in Melbourne, the pair defended their AO title with a 6-4/6-3 win over Kamiji & Zhu Zhenzhen.



Li & Wang need only the RG title to have won all majors, while Li now has a chance to become the second Chinese woman to sweep the WC s/d titles at a major event (w/ Wang at last year's Wimbledon).

In the junior wheelchair doubles final, #2 seeded Lucy Foyster & Seira Matsuoka defeated top seeds Luna Gryp & Lucy Heald by a 6-3/7-5 score to take the title.

#1 seed Gryp and #2 Matsuoka will meet in the singles final tomorrow.

...the junior singles semis are set, and it'll be a pair of Hordettes playing in the two matches, versus a seeded Bannerette and a Pastry.

Unseeded Ekaterina Tupitsyna upset the player who was likely the favorite to claim the AO crown, #6-seeded Xinran Sun, by a 3-6/7-5/7-5 score, and will next face #8-seeded U.S. teen Thea Frodin (def. another Russian, #13 Mariia Makarova). On the other side of the draw, Hordette Rada Zolotareva knocked off #11 Shao Yushan, and will next face #3-seeded French girl Ksenia Efremova (def. #10 Kanon Sawashiro) for a spot in the final.



The girls' doubles final will be an All-Crusher affair, as both Czech duos playing in today's semis advanced to the title match, #1-seeded sisters Alena & Jana Kovackova, and Tereza Hermanova & Denisa Zoldakova. The winners will be the first Czech team to take home the AO crown since Marketa Vondrousova & Miriam Kolodziejova (now Skoch) in 2015.

The Kovackovas won last year's U.S. Open junior title, and in 2023 Alena also won the Wimbledon doubles (though not w/ her sister). A win in the AO final would bring her within the RG title from a Junior Career Doubles Slam.





...LIKE THE TIDES on Day 13:




...SEMIFINAL NIGHT CALLBACK (w/ eyeroll implied) on Day 13:




...STOSUR SIGHTING on Day 13:




...IMAGE OF THE TOURNAMENT? on Day 13:

And another piece of evidence entered into the offical record that likely proves that unless Djokovic can slip in #25 somewhere, the men's slam champions winner's circle will likely still involve just two players going well into the near future.





...DID YOU KNOW? on Day 13:

The Iga Swiatek QF loss to Elena Rybakina drops her to 0-2 vs. Top 10 opponents in 2026? How about that going back to last season's WTA Finals, she's dropped four straight matches vs. Top 10 pleyars *and* is 1-6 in such matches since her Cincinnati title run (w/ wins vs. Paolini and Rybakina) last summer?

Meanwhile, with Katerina Siniakova's loss (w/ Taylor Townsend, the defending champs) in the doubles semis, and Elise Mertens' advancement into the final (w/ Zhang Shuai), the Belgian is assured of replacing the Czech as the doubles #1 next Monday. Mertens first reached the top spot back in 2021.








=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #5 Elena Rybakina/KAZ

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#7 Danilina/Krunic (KAZ/SRB) vs. #4 Mertens/Zhang (BEL/CHN)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
(WC) Gadecki/Peers (AUS/AUS) def. (PR) Mladenovic/Guinard (FRA/FRA) 4-6/6-3 [10-8]

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#3 Li Xiaohui/CHN vs. Diede de Groot/NED

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Li/Wang (CHN/CHN) def. #2 Kamiji/Zhu (JPN/CHN) 6-4/6-3

=GIRLS' SINGLES SF=
#8 Thea Frodin/USA vs. Ekaterina Tupitsyna/RUS
#3 Ksenia Efremova/FRA vs. Rada Zolotareva/RUS

=GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 A.Kovackova/J.Kovackova (CZE/CZE) vs. Hermanova/Zoldakova (CZE/CZE)

=GIRLS' WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Luna Gryp/BEL vs. #2 Seira Matsuoka/JPN

=GIRLS' WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Foyster/Matsuoka (GBR/JPN) def. #1 Gryp/Heald (BEL/USA) 6-3/7-5






















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*SLAM MX TITLES - active*
4...Desirae Krawczyk, USA
4...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
3...Sara Errani, ITA
3...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
2...OLIVIA GADECKI, AUS
2...Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2...Laura Siegemund, GER
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
1...Anna Danilina, KAZ
1...Storm Hunter, AUS
1...Miyu Kato, JPN
1...Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR
1...Nicole Melichar Martinez, USA
1...Ena Shibahara, JPN
1...Katerina Siniakova, CZE
1...Luisa Stefani, BRA
1...Heather Watson, GBR

*MX SLAM/OLYMPIC FINALS - 2020-26*
4-2 - Desirae Krawczyk
3-0 - Sara Errani
2-0 - OLIVIA GADECKI
2-0 - Hsieh Su-wei
2-0 - Barbora Krejcikova
2-0 - Katerina Siniakova
1-1 - KRISTINA MLADENOVIC
1-1 - Luisa Stefani
0-2 - Giuliana Olmos
0-2 - Samantha Stosur (ret).
0-2 - Elena Vesnina (ret.)

*AO MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - since 2014*
2014 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN
2015 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Elena Vesnina & Bruno Soares, RUS/BRA
2017 Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal, USA/COL
2018 Gaby Dabrowski & Mate Pavic, CAN/CRO
2019 Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev Ram, CZE/USA
2020 Barbora Krejcikova & Nikola Mektic, CZE/CRO
2021 Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev Ram, CZE/USA
2022 Kristina Mladenovic & Ivan Dodig, FRA/CRO
2023 Luisa Stefani & Rafael Matos, BRA/BRA
2024 Hsieh Su-wei & Jan Zielinski, TPE/POL
2025 Olivia Gadecki & John Peers, AUS/AUS
2026 Olivia Gadecki & John Peers, AUS/AUS

*RECENT MX SLAM CHAMPIONS*
2020 AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Nikola Mektic (CZE/CRO)
2021 AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
2021 RG: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
2021 WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
2021 US: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
2022 AO: Kristina Mladenovic/Ivan Dodig (FRA/CRO)
2022 RG: Ena Shibahara/Wesley Koolhof (JPN/NED)
2022 WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
2022 US: Storm Sanders/John Peers (AUS/AUS)
2023 AO: Luisa Stefani/Rafael Matos (BRA/BRA)
2023 RG: Miyu Kato/Tim Puetz (JPN/GER)
2023 WI: Lyudmyla Kichenok/Mate Pavic (UKR/CRO)
2023 US: Anna Danilina/Harri Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN)
2024 AO: Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL)
2024 RG: Laura Siegemund/Edouard Roger-Vasselin (GER/FRA)
2024 WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL)
2024 US: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
2025 AO: Olivia Gadecki/John Peers (AUS/AUS)
2025 RG: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
2025 WI: Katerina Siniakova/Sem Verbeek (CZE/NED)
2025 US: Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
2026 AO: Olivia Gadecki/John Peers (AUS/AUS)

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US; *-active]
24 - Aniek van Koot, NED [7-9-3-5]*
22 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [5-5-8-4]*
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]
19 - Diede de Groot, NED [5-6-3-5]*
16 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [6-3-3-4]*
12 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [3-2-5-2]
7 - Sharon Walraven, NED [2-1-2-2]
5 - Korie Homan, NED [1-1-1-2]
5 - Marjolein Buis, NED [2-2-0-1]
4 - LI XIAOHUI, CHN [2-0-1-1]*
4 - Kgothatso Montjane, RSA [0-2-1-1]*
4 - WANG ZIYING, CHN [2-0-1-1]*

*JUNIOR WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS*
[doubles]
2022 US: Jade Moreira Lanai/Maylie Phelps, BRA/USA
2023 US: Ksenia Chasteau/Maylie Phelps, FRA/USA
2024 RG: Ksenia Chasteau/Maylie Phelps, FRA/USA
2024 US: Rio Okano/Yuma Takamuro, JPN/JPN
2025 AO: Luna Gryp/Vitoria Miranda, BEL/BRA
2025 RG: Luna Gryp/Vitoria Miranda, BEL/BRA
2025 US: Sabina Czauz/Seira Matsuoka, USA/JPN
2026 AO: Lucy Foyster/Seira Matsuoka, GBR/JPN

*MOST 2020-26 WTA FINAL MATCHUPS *
5...Sabalenka/Swiatek - 2022,23,24 = Swiatek 4-1
5...RYBAKINA/SABALENKA - 2023,24,26 = Rybakina 3-1
3...Gauff/Sabalenka - 2023,25 = Gauff 2-1
3...Pegula/Sabalenka - 2024,25 = Sabalenka 3-0
3...Pegula/Swiatek - 2023,25 = Swiatek 2-1

*RECENT AO "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2020 CiCi Bellis, USA
2021 Rebecca Marino, CAN
2022 Madison Keys, USA
2023 Donna Vekic, CRO and Luisa Stefani, BRA
2024 Amanda Anisimova, USA
2025 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2026 Diede de Groot, NED (WC)






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To those willfully ignorant Americans who think Trump is just getting the illegal immigrants out. "We're a retired couple" "To think that these individuals represent our government"

[image or embed]

— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) January 29, 2026 at 10:59 AM


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TOP QUALIFIER: Guiomar Maristany/ESP
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #6 Jessie Pegula/USA (lost 5 games in 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #6 Jessie Pegula/USA (def. DC Keys and #4 Anisimova to reach first AO semi)
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - Guiomar Maristany/ESP def. Tatiana Prozorova/RUS 6-2/2-6/7-6(10-7) - saved four MP (at 6-5 in the 3rd), reached maiden slam MD
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Elsa Jacquemot/FRA def. #20 Marta Kostyuk/UKR 6-7(4)/7-6(4)/7-6(10-7) - 3:31; first three-TB women's match at AO; Jacquemot saves MP in 2nd set, wins 10-7 MTB in 3rd for first Top 20 win
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Anastasia Potapova/AUT 7-6(4)/7-6(7) - Sabalenka sweeps TB, wins in two after led 2nd 4-0 and failed to serve out match at 5-4, then fell behind 6-3 in TB and saved 4 SP
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: (WC) Talia Gibson/AUS (def. Anna Blinkova/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #26 Dayana Yastremska, UKR (1r- lost to Gabriela Ruse/ROU)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Nikola Bartunkova/CZE (1st slam MD), Linda Klimovicova/POL (1st), Petra Marcinko/CRO (1st), Taylah Preston/AUS (3rd), Oksana Selekhmeteva/RUS (5th)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (3rd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: 0-1 in 1r
UPSET QUEENS: The Crush of Czechs
REVELATION LADIES: Australia (6 in 2r most since 1992)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Russia (4-5 1st Rd.; only 9 in MD after AO-best 9 to 2r in '25; has lost 7 notable players to other nations since '23; lost 2 Top 20 seeds)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Maddison Inglis/AUS (4r)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Priscilla Hon/AUS and Taylah Preston/AUS (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Maddison Inglis (4th Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: Jovic, Rybakina, Li (WC), Mertens (WD)
IT (Beloved Turk): Zeynep Sonmez/TUR
COMEBACK PLAYER: Diede de Groot/NED (WC)
CRASH & BURN: #26 Dayana Yastremska/UKR and #20 Marta Kostyuk/UKR (first two seeds out lose in back-to-back ANZ Arena matches on Day 1
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Maddison Inglis/AUS (saved 2 MP vs. Leyre Gormaz Romero in 3-hr. Q1 match, then won back-to-back 3-hr. matches in 1r/2r en route to maiden slam Round of 16)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Venus Williams/USA (at 45 years and 7 months, breaks 2015 record of Kimiko Date as the oldest woman in an AO singles MD match)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Elina Svitolina/UKR
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: ["Show Pony Fashion Sense"] Naomi Osaka's jellyfish-inspired, "My Fair Lady" nighttime intro outfit
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Gadecki, The Bracelet
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominees: Kovackovas, Frodin, Efremova






All for now. More soon.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:00 AM 

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