QualityShot Tennis

Alcaraz 5-2 up 2nd set, Djokovic 1st serve % has dropped from 78% to 58% (set on set) and the forehand is not firing as well as it was in the 1st set. Carlos finding his range as Novak's level seems to have dipped.

Fortunate net cord and some Gifted errors from Djokovic gives Alcaraz the early break in the 2nd set.

Djokovic dominated the Forehand to Forehand exchanges in Set 1. Alcaraz making errors when trying to flatten it out and not getting enough depth or width when hitting with more shape. A set to forget to Carlos, Novak only 2 sets away from #25!

These cooler conditions suit Djokovic more, there is a reason he has such an incredible night session record in Grand Slams. Will be easier for him to get through the court with his flatter ground strokes than Carlos and it seems evident early doors here.

Elena Rybakina becomes the 4th woman to beat both the world #1 and the world #2 en route to winning the Australian Open title since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

Jennifer Capriati.

Serena Williams.

Madison Keys.

𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐚.

Special.

🇰🇿🩵

Elena Rybakina's Grand Slam winning celebrations will go down as one of the coolest ever. Relaxed with a hint of "job done". Got to love it.

The 2026 Australian Open was looking like it might end in a non dramatic way. Today's men's semi finals completely brought it to life. Incredible day of tennis.
Bring on Sabalenka vs Rybakina and Djokovic vs Alcaraz on Finals weekend!

38 year old Novak Djokovic defeats defending champion Jannik Sinner in an epic 5 set match to make his 11th Australian Open final. He will face Alcaraz in Sunday's final.
What. A. Performance.

Break points saved so far:

16/18 Djokovic
5/8 Sinner

Crazy from the Serb.

Win or Lose this is a ridiculously good level from Djokovic over 5 sets. Astounding how he has matched Sinner throughout.

Sinner looks visibly annoyed. He is making uncharacteristic errors.

Djokovic is going toe to toe vs Sinner right now. Incredible to witness this whilst he is 38 years of age. He is really pushing his physical limits here. This 3rd set could be crucial, I am not sure how long Djokovic can sustain this level of intensity.

Djokovic has not taken a set off Sinner since the 2024 Australian Open. He is currently 4-1 up in the 2nd set against the Italian. Can he take it and level things up in their semi final?

Alcaraz has had 5 break point opportunities this 5th set but has not converted one. A mixture of Zverev shutting the door and Alcaraz not being at his clinical best.

Carlos Alcaraz serve speeds are way down at the moment as he continues to struggle physically.

Zverev is very much in this semi final vs Alcaraz. With Carlos struggling physically, if it is pushed to a 5th things could get very interesting.

Every Rybakina fan had the Blinkova flashbacks with her

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Emma Raducanu has parted ways with Francisco Roig as her coach. She posted on social media the news. Emma has struggled in recent years to find a coaching partnership that will be medium/long term. Who do you think would be a good fit for her?

Aryna Sabalenka has now made at least the final of every HC grand slam since the start of 2023. That is 7 straight HC slams where she has either won it or lost in the final. Incredible consistency.

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on why Pegula is a bad match up stylistically for Anisimova. What does Jess do that hurts Amanda so much?

Sinner is just suffocating Shelton at the moment. Not really sure what the American can do to stop the Italians momentum. Sinner has hit 5 unforced errors in an hour of play!

Naomi Osaka has WITHDRAWN from the Australian Open and her upcoming 3rd round match vs Madison Inglis. She has cited an injury in her Instagram story but has not specified the issue.

Big win by 19 year old Iva Jovic, she beats Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6. The teenager is in fine form. Another young star shining is Victorio Mboko; she is also through to Round 4 and will face world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Frosty handshake by Cirstea after she loses to Osaka, then a short exhange of words at the net. Potentially because Naomi said "Come On" in between serves (which is not abnormal). Osaka battles past Cirstea, some very competitive tennis on show.

Upsets are starting to come early doors at the Australian Open for Day 1!

- Sonmez (Q) def Alexandrova (11)
- Fery (Q) def Cobolli (20)
- Jacquemot def Kostyuk (20)

Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the Australian Open with an injury. The Italian was supposed to play what could have been a blockbuster match up against Alex de Minaur. Hoping he recovers quickly and is back healthy. Sad to see the struggles he has had with injuries.

What a turn around by Xinyu Wang. Alex Eala was serving for the match at 5-3 in the 2nd set but Wang came back to take the set 7-5 and the deciding set 6-4. Gritty performance and an entertaining match by both.

YouTube video by QualityShot Tennis Alexandra Eala vs Xinyu Wang - Preview & Prediction - 2026 WTA Auckland Semi Final

Alexandra Eala vs Xinyu Wang - Preview & Prediction - 2026 WTA Auckland Semi Final

youtu.be/xvR6VH-_sqI?...

#eala

Stan Wawrinka receives a wild card for the Australian Open and deservedly so. Nick Krygios will not be receiving one for singles and it seems it was a mutual decision between the player and tournament. He has admitted he is not ready physically for best of 5 tennis yet.

Its January 8th and I am seeing a lot of players already with protective or preventive strapping for niggles/injuries. Not ideal to see so many players struggling physically 8 days into the season.