Tennis
The best Russian tennis players failed in Australia. Will a 16-year-old schoolgirl save everyone?
Lyudmila Samsonova / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Russian fans can only believe in the young and promising.
Something paradoxical is happening at the Australian Open. While the audience is delighted by the young and promising Mirra Andreeva, Maria Timofeeva and Elina Avanesyan, the more famous and eminent Russians are losing en masse in the early stages. All five leaders of the national ranking did not reach the third round!
The situation is already being called a disaster.
Four losses in the first round
The starfall began with the departure of Lyudmila Samsonova. The first racket of Russia and the 13th number in the WTA rankings could not cope with the American Amanda Anisimova. Samsonova was defeated in 1 hour 24 minutes – 3:6, 4:6. It is worth noting that Anisimova is in 339th place in the ranking!
Then the fifth on the list, Anastasia Potapova, seeded 23rd in Australia, was eliminated. She failed to beat Kaya Juvan from Slovenia – 1:6, 4:6. The match with the 109th racket of the world ended for Potapova just 1 hour 12 minutes after the start.
Third in line was Ekaterina Alexandrova. The fourth racket of Russia, who received the 17th seed, lost to the German Laura Siegemund (78) in a difficult match. The tennis players spent more than three hours on the court, and Alexandrova lost with a score of 2:6, 6:3, 6:7 (9:11).
Another seeded Russian who was eliminated in the first round was Veronika Kudermetova. She failed to cope with the Swiss Victoria Golubic. The third racket of Russia lost, despite the high 15th seed and the 85th place of her opponent – 6:7 (4:7), 6:1, 1:6.
Couldn’t cope with powerful blows
Of the top five Russian tennis players, only Daria Kasatkina managed to get past the first round. At the start of the Australian Open, she beat Peyton Stearns from the USA – 6:2, 3:6, 6:2. But then the second Russian racket began to have serious problems.
In the second round, Kasatkina, seeded 14th, met with another American, Sloane Stephens, once the US Open champion. The match turned out to be tense: Daria took the first set (6:4), but then could not cope with her opponent’s powerful blows and lost the next two games – 6:4, 3:6, 3:6. The game lasted just over two hours.
The defeat of all those sown is a disaster
After Kasatkina’s elimination, there were no seeded Russians left in the bracket. Now lesser-known tennis players will take the rap for everyone, and so far they are coping with their task with a bang. Mirra Andreeva destroyed the sixth racket of the world Ons Jabeur – 6:0, 6:2, and Maria Timofeeva snatched victory from the legendary Caroline Wozniacki – 1:6, 6:4, 6:1. Even the offenders of top players get the full treatment: for example, Kaya Yuvan lost to Anastasia Zakharova without a chance – 1:6, 1:6. Also, Anna Kalinskaya, Elina Avanesyan and Anna Blinkova made it to the third round, knocking out the third racket of the tournament, Elena Rybakina, from the fight for the title.
It is likely that in the second week of the tournament the Russians will have someone to cheer for. But the fiasco of the leaders of Russian tennis did not go unnoticed. Olympic champion and winner of two Grand Slam tournaments Yevgeny Kafelnikov was quite stern when commenting on the situation.
— The top four (according to the WTA rating) of our girls did not pass the second round barrier at the Australian Championships! “Disaster,” Kafelnikov wrote on social networks.
The Russian Tennis Federation urged not to make far-reaching conclusions.
— You can only discuss each one separately. What makes tennis interesting is that it constantly has breakthrough stories. Why did those who stood above lose? “Everyone there has their own story,” Alexey Selivanenko, vice-president of the federation, told the Metaratings.ru portal.
Six years ago everyone failed
The defeat of all seeded Russian women in the first two rounds of the Australian Open is not a very common occurrence. Suffice it to say that the last time this happened was six years ago!
In 2018, nine Russian women played on the courts of Melbourne Park. Four of them were seeded – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (15), Elena Vesnina (16), Daria Kasatkina (22) and Ekaterina Makarova (31). But none of them managed to reach the third round. Makarova stumbled in the first round, and Pavlyuchenkova, Vesnina and Kasatkina – in the second.
That tournament, however, was unsuccessful for all Russians. Only one of them managed to reach the third round – Maria Sharapova showed herself better than the rest. But she didn’t go far, losing to German Angelique Kerber with a score of 1:6, 3:6.
Therefore, the situation at JSC-2024 is not unique, but it is still unpleasant. In the current conditions, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva unexpectedly became the leader of Russia in Melbourne Park. And the tennis players, with whom hopes for the title were pinned, left the tournament very early.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
It will take place on January 15 draw main grill Australian Open 2026 in both men’s and women’s singles.
The ceremony will start at 05.00 Kyiv time. The video broadcast will be available on the official Australian Open website and the tournament’s YouTube channel.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on the Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
Current major champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys will attend the draw ceremony.
They know their opponents Ukrainian tennis players: Elina Svitolina (WTA 12), Marta Kostyuk (WTA 20), Dayana Yastremskaya (WTA 27) and Alexandra Oleynikova (WTA 90).
Svitolina, Kostyuk and Yastremskaya rank 12th, 20th and 26th, respectively. There will be a total of 32 seeded players for both men and women.
US Open main rule matches will begin on January 18 and run through February 1.
Three Ukrainians continue to compete in the Australian Open 2026 qualifiers: Yulia Starodubtseva, Daria Snigur and Angelina Kalinina.
Australian Open 2026 draws. Rivals for Ukrainians. Watch online. LIVE
Video broadcast is available on the Australian Open YouTube channel.
Seeded tennis players and women tennis players:
Source: Sport UA
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.
Austrian tennis player Sebastian Ofner (ATP 131) suffered a disappointing defeat in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open qualifiers.
In the semi-finals of the selection, the Austrian player lost to the US representative in three sets Nisheshu Basavareddy (ATP 239) in 2 hours 32 minutes. Basavareddy took the victory over Ofner in the third set super tiebreaker.
Sebastian was ahead 7:1 in the super tiebreaker and started celebrating his victory after gaining a point. Sebastian started walking towards the goal and the referee told him the match wasn’t over yet.
As a result, Ofner lost 11:13 and missed two match points: one at 10:9 on the return, the other at 11:10 on serve.
Basavareddy will compete against George Loffagen (Great Britain, ATP 211) in the Australian Open qualifying final.
Australian Open 2026. Qualification
Nisesh Basavareddy (USA) – Sebastian Ofner (Austria) – 4:6, 6:4, 7:6 (13:11)
VIDEO. Winning gesture at 7:1 turned into failure: an epic fiasco at the Aus Open
When your brain calls the match point before the referee… pic.twitter.com/r1i49K1k2V
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 14, 2026
Video review of Nishesh Basavareddy – Sebastian Ofner match
Source: Sport UA
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
The quarter-final pairings of the WTA 500 in Adelaide and the WTA 250 in Hobart tournaments have been announced.
On January 14, all second round matches in tough tournaments ended WTA 500 in Adelaide And WTA 250 in HobartIt will take place parallel to the Australian Open 2026 qualifying match (Melbourne).
In Adelaide, Dayana Yastremskaya’s felon Katerina Sinyakova lost to Diana Schneider in the second round.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
Second-seeded five-hundred Madison Keys knocked out Tereza Valentova, and eighth-seeded Victoria Mboko fought Anna Kalinskaya.
WTA 500 Adelaide. 1/8 final
topnet
🏳️Mirra Andreeva [3] – 
Maria Bouzkova [LL] – 6:3, 6:1
Maya Joynt- Ayla Tomljanovic [WC] – 0:2, RET., Tomljanovic
🏳️Diana Schneider [9] – Katerina Sinyakova [LL] – 6:1, 2:6, 7:5
Yulia Putintseva [Q] – Emma Navarro [6] – 1:6, 4:6
bottom of the network
Marketa Vondrousova – Kimberly Birrell – WO., Birrell
Daria Kasatkina – Jacqueline Christian [Q] – 4:6, 0:6
Victoria Mboko [8] – 🏳️ Anna Kalinskaya – 6:2, 3:6, 7:6 (8:6)
Teresa Valentova – Madison Keys [2] – 4:6, 1:6
WTA 500 Adelaide. Quarter final matches
topnet
🏳️Mirra Andreeva [3] – Ayla Tomljanovic [WC]
🏳️Diana Schneider [9] – Emma Navarro [6]
bottom of the network
Kimberly Birrell- Jacqueline Christian [Q]
Victoria Mboko [8] – Madison Keys [2]
Video review of match day in Adelaide
In Hobart, top seed Emma Raducanu advanced to the quarter-finals without a fight – Magdalena French withdrew from her second round match.
Olga Danilovich, who defeated McCartney Kessler and advanced to the second place, also defeated Peyton Stearns in the 1/8 final.
Third-seeded Iva Jovic crushes her opponents: The young American first gave up just one game to Janice Tjen and then defeated Renata Sarasua with scores of 6:1, 6:2. Her next opponent will be Magda Linette.
WTA 250 Hobart. 1/8 final
topnet
Emma Raducanu [1] – Magdalena French – WO., Raducanu
Rebecca Shramkova – Talia Preston [WC] – 4:6, 1:6
Iva Jovic [3] – Renata Sarasua [Q] – 6:1, 6:2
Wang Xinyu- Magda Linette [8] – 1:6, 5:7
bottom of the network
Tatyana Maria [6] – Anna Bondar – 6:7 (7:9), 5:7
Elisabetta Cocciaretto [Q] – Ann Lee [4] – 1:6, 7:5, 7:5
Antonia Ruzic – Solana Sierra – 7:5, 6:4
Peyton Stearns- Olga Danilovich – 6:7 (2:7), 1:6
WTA 250 Hobart. Quarter final matches
topnet
Emma Raducanu [1] – Talia Preston [WC]
Iva Jovic [3] – Magda Linette [8]
bottom of the network
Anna Bondar- Elisabetta Cocciaretto [Q]
Antonia Ruzic – Olga Danilovich
Video review of match day in Hobart
Source: Sport UA
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.
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