Friday’s quarterfinals in Adelaide feature two matchups between Major singles champions. World No.1 Ash Barty will play 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, and 2020 Roland Garros champ Iga Swiatek will face two-time Slam champ Victoria Azarenka.
Action in Melbourne includes three other multi-time Major singles champions: Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, and Simona Halep. And in Syndey, the first semifinal tie of the ATP Cup will be decided, with Spain taking on Poland for a spot in Sunday’s final.
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
Order of Play is here.
Hubert Hurkacz [POL] vs. Roberto Bautista Agut [ESP] – Not Before 4:00pm on Ken Rosewall Arena
Both players went 3-0 in during the round robin stage. Bautista Agut is 2-0 against Hurkacz, with both matches taking place on hard courts within the past few years. This could easily become a must-win match for Poland, as the earlier singles contest will see Pablo Carreno Busta heavily favored over Kamil Majchrzak. Russia and Canada will play in the second semifinal tie on Saturday.
Adelaide: a WTA 500 Event, and an ATP 250 Event
WTA draw is here, ATP draw is here, and Order of Play is here.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Sofia Kenin (6) – Not Before 3:00pm on Centre Court
Barty came back from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff on Wednesday, while Kenin saved three match points on Thursday in a comeback victory over another Australian, Ajla Tomljanovic. Barty leads their head-to-head 4-2, though their last encounter went to Kenin. And it was a significant one: two years ago on an extremely hot day, the American prevailed in the Australian Open semifinals.
Iga Swiatek (5) vs. Victoria Azarenka – Not Before 7:00pm on Centre Court
Swiatek has started the year in stellar form, dropping only nine games through her first two matches. But so has Azarenka, who is also yet to lose a set, and on Tuesday easily dispatched of her doubles partner, Paula Badosa. Their only previous meeting occurred at the 2020 US Open, which Vika claimed 6-4, 6-2.
Melbourne: Two WTA 250 Events, and an ATP 25 Event
The WTA draws are here and here, and the ATP draw is here. The Order of Play is here.
Simona Halep (2) vs. Viktorija Golubic (6) – Second on Rod Laver Arena
Like Swiatek, Halep has also allowed her opponents only nine games through four sets. Golubic was a surprise quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last July. During the 2018 Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup), Halep beat Golubic in three sets on clay.
Rafael Nadal (1) vs. Tallon Griekspoor – Not Before 3:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Nadal prevailed in straight sets in his return to singles on Thursday. Griekspoor is a 25-year-old from the Netherlands who has already earned solid wins this week over Dominik Koepfer and Alexei Popyrin. This is their first career encounter.
Naomi Osaka (1) vs. Andrea Petkovic – Not Before 8:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Osaka looked a lot more sharp in her 6-1, 6-1 victory on Thursday than in her first match against Alize Cornet. Petkovic is a former top 10 player making a bit of a resurgence. Last summer in Romania, she won her first WTA title since 2015.
