Tennis

Naomi Osaka wants to return to Australian Open 2024

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2023

Nancy

Naomi Osaka wants to return to Australian Open 2024

(New York) Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner but absent from the circuit since September 2022, announced on the sidelines of the United States Open on Wednesday that she hoped to return to the 2024 Australian Open.

Asked by the American sports channel ESPN about her presence in Melbourne next January, the 25-year-old Japanese replied “yes”, explaining that her 16-month break had “reignited the fire” in her.

During her break, Osaka gave birth last July to a baby girl, Shai.

She has not played in competition since the Tokyo tournament in 2022: after having benefited from the abandonment in the first round of her opponent Beatriz Haddad, she had withdrawn before the second round.

Osaka, who has denounced the psychological difficulties she faces on the circuit, took part in a forum on the mental health of athletes on Wednesday in Flushing Meadows, alongside American swimming legend Michael Phelps.

She said she intended to do a full 2024 tennis season.

“It will definitely be a lot more tournaments than I used to play,” she said.

“I don’t know how the start of the season will go. I don’t know what my level of play will be and I think we have to come back slowly. So I will set myself the goal of finishing the year very well” 2024, she developed.

World No. 1 in 2019, Osaka fell back to 603^e WTA rank. She won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, as well as the US Open in 2018 and 2020.

Source: lapresse

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.

Tennis

VIDEO. How Alcaraz started the Aus Open and went up against Yannick. But not him

Published

42 minutes ago

January 18, 2026

Nancy

VIDEO. How Alcaraz started the Aus Open and went up against Yannick. But not him

spanish tennis player Carlos AlcarazThe team, ranked No. 1 in the world, is off to a strong start at the 2026 Australian Open.

Spaniards in the first round Adam Walton (Australia, ATP 79) 2 hours 8 minutes.

Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals

Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) [1] – Adam Walton (Australia) – 6:3, 7:6 (7:2), 6:2

Alcaraz played their second head-to-head match against Walton. In 2025, Carlos defeated Adam in the 1/16 final of the competition in London.

Alcaraz got his first win in 2026. Carlos managed to reach the second round of the Australian Open for the fifth time in his career.

Alcaraz became the fourth player in the Open Era to win the opening match in each of the first 20 Grand Slam singles matches. Previously this was done by Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

Carlitos’ next opponent will be Jannik Sinner’s namesake, Hanfmann. Sinner, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of the group, taking second place, and it is possible for them to meet Alcaraz only in the final. The Italian player will start the big tournament in Melbourne on January 20 with a fight against Hugo Gaston.

Video review of Carlos Alcaraz – Adam Walton match

Photo gallery of the match

Source: Sport UA

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.

Tennis

Australian Open Alcaraz wins in three sets in first round

Published

2 hours ago

January 18, 2026

Nancy

Australian Open Alcaraz wins in three sets in first round

(Melbourne) World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz delivered a serious, if not perfect, match to advance to the second round of the Australian Open on Sunday, the only Grand Slam tournament missing from his record.

For his first official match since his separation in mid-December with his historic coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 22-year-old Spaniard won 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 against the Australian Adam Walton (81^e).

Now coached only by Samuel Lopez, who joined his team at the end of 2024, Alcaraz started the game well, breaking his opponent at 4-3 in the first set before concluding the set on his serve.

But Walton responded at the start of the second set, breaking away at 3-1 before the boss of the ATP circuit pulled back to push the Australian to the tiebreaker, easily won 7/2 by the Spaniard.

In the third set, Alcaraz broke with a shutout at 3-2 to fly to victory, acquired after a little over two hours of match.

The next opponent for the world No.1 will be the German Yannick Hanfmann (102^e), who on Sunday disposed of the American Zachary Svajda (143^e), from the qualifications.

The Alcaraz-Walton duel was the last match of the first day at the Central, before the entry into contention scheduled for Monday of the ten-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic (4^e), the triple finalist in Melbourne Daniil Medvedev (12^e) and the winner of the 2014 edition Stan Wawrinka (139^e), invited by the organizers at the start of his last professional season.

Source: lapresse

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.

Tennis

PHOTOGRAPH. Kostyuk ends wild match at Australian Open with leg injury

Published

2 hours ago

January 18, 2026

Nancy

PHOTOGRAPH. Kostyuk ends wild match at Australian Open with leg injury

January 18 Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk He suffered defeat at the beginning of the 2026 Australian Open.

The Ukrainian player was defeated in three sets in the first round Another Jacquemot (France, WTA 58) with a score of 7:6 (7:4), 6:7 (4:7), 6:7 (7:10) in 3 hours 27 minutes.

Marta finished the match with a leg injury. In the 12th game of the third set, with a score of 5:6 (30:15), Kostyuk sprained his ankle and took a medical timeout.

In the super tiebreak Marta immediately started losing 1:5 and 4:7, managed to equalize at 7:7 but unfortunately lost the last three points.

For the first time in five years, Kostyuk failed to advance past the opening round of the Australian Open.

Jacquemot will compete with Yulia Putintseva, who defeated Beatrice Haddad Maya, in the second round.

PHOTOGRAPH. Kostyuk ends wild match at Australian Open with leg injury

Source: Sport UA

Nancy

I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.