On Wednesday, World No.1 Ash Barty will play her first singles match in four months, against 17-year-old American Coco Gauff. Barty and Gauff were opponents Tuesday in doubles, with Ash and fellow Aussie Storm Sanders defeated Coco and Katy McNally in straight sets. Wednesday also sees other top WTA names in action, such as Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, and Simona Halep. And Day 5 of the ATP Cup will decide the first two countries advancing to the semifinals.
Each day, this preview will highlight the most prominent matches from around Australia.
Sydney: The ATP Cup, a Round Robin Team Event between 16 Nations
Top Players: Daniil Medvedev, Sascha Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud
Group Standings are here, Order of Play is here.
Hubert Hurkacz [POL] vs. Diego Schwartzman [ARG] – Second on Qudos Bank Arena
Whichever team wins this tie between Poland and Argentina will win Group D and advance to the semifinals. Both players are 2-0 thus far, and have split two previous meetings. Their only hard court encounter was two years ago at this event, which Hurkacz won in three.
Roberto Bautista Agut [ESP] vs. Dusan Lajovic [SRB] – Not Before 7:00pm on Ken Rosewall Arena
Spain is currently in qualifying position in Group A with a 2-0 record, but Serbia could spoil their advancement by winning this tie. This is quite the ask of Lajovic, who is 0-6 lifetime against Bautista Agut at all levels, including a straight-set loss at this tournament in 2020.
Adelaide: a WTA 500 Event, and an ATP 250 Event
Top WTA Players: Ash Barty, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa, Iga Swiatek
Top ATP Players: Gael Monfils, Karen Khachanov, Marin Cilic
WTA draw is here, ATP draw is here, and Order of Play is here.
Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs. Kaja Juvan – 11:00am on Centre Court
Sabalenka was 45-18 in 2021, and started last year with a title run Abu Dhabi. Juvan is a 21-year-old ranked 100th in the world.
Maria Sakkari (3) vs. Shelby Rogers – Second on Centre Court
Sakkari survived a three-set test on Sunday against Timara Zidansek. Last summer at Wimbledon, she was defeated by Rogers in their only prior meeting.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Coco Gauff – Not Before 7:00pm on Centre Court
Their only previous singles encounter was last May in Rome, when Barty retired due to injury shortly after winning the first set. Ash was an excellent 42-8 in 2021, while Gauff went 36-16.
Melbourne: Two WTA 250 Events, and an ATP 25 Event
Top WTA Players: Naomi Osaka, Jessica Pegula, Simona Halep
Top ATP Players: Rafael Nadal, Reilly Opelka, Grigor Dimitrov
The WTA draws are here and here, and the ATP draw is here. The WTA Order of Play is here and here, the ATP Order of Play is here.
Simona Halep (2) vs. Destanee Aiava (Q) – Not Before 8:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Halep was only 24-10 in an injury-shortened 2021 season. Aiava is a 21-year-old Australian currently ranked 316th in the world.
