Tennis
The Australian Open champion from Belarus was forcibly “changed” her citizenship. Disgusting bunch of organizers
Victoria Azarenka in the second round match of the Australian Open / Photo: © Robert Prezioso / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Victoria Azarenka had an unpleasant surprise at the awards ceremony.
Victoria Azarenka competed at the 2013 Australian Open as the reigning champion of the tournament. The athlete approached the matches in Melbourne in excellent shape, because not only the title was at stake, but also the coveted title of the first racket of the world.
Victoria was lucky with the net, and the Belarusian herself did not give her rivals any hope of a sensation, confidently removing one tennis player after another from her path. In the final match, Azarenka had to play with the most experienced Chinese woman Li Na. Despite her depressed emotional state, Victoria was able to muster her will and defend her title.
And the main surprise awaited Victoria at the awards. During the presentation of the championship cup, it turned out that the organizers made a grave mistake: instead of BLR (Belarus), they engraved BEL (Belgium).
Was emotionally depressed
The Belarusian tennis player’s path to the final was not the most difficult. The first serious problems arose in the semifinals with American Sloane Stephens. In the second set, with the score 5:4, Azarenka missed five match points. She took a medical break, which lasted a little longer than expected, and left the court, and after returning she still made a decisive break.
Everything was within the rules, but the tennis community accused Victoria of cheating: allegedly the athlete deliberately took a break to throw the American off her rhythm. The 23-year-old tennis player was hit with a barrage of criticism and negativity from both ordinary fans and tennis experts. Such pressure could not but affect the athlete’s emotional state before the final.
Pauses decided the outcome of the match
Victoria entered the final meeting with Li Na amid loud booing from the stands, and throughout the match it was felt that the sympathy of the fans was not on the side of the Belarusian tennis player.
Azarenka started the first set uncertainly: she made double faults and for a long time could not find her serve. The Chinese woman also made mistakes, but in this match psychology came first. Li Na looked calmer and 45 minutes after the start she served for the set with the score 5:3. But in the second game, Azarenka’s game improved and she began to dominate. During the fifth game, Li Na twisted her ankle and took a seven-minute medical break. When the Chinese returned, the game became tighter. Victoria had difficulty fending off her opponent’s rapid attacks, but still retained the advantage and took the set with a score of 6:4.
The winner of the final was to be determined in the third game. The rivals were almost as good as each other, but a series of pauses knocked Li Na out of rhythm. During the fourth game, the match was abandoned due to Australia Day fireworks. Azarenka took full advantage of the ten-minute break: she called a doctor and left the court.
In the first rally after the pause, the Chinese player fell on her injured left ankle, hitting her head hard. After another break, the match continued, but the Chinese tennis player’s game fell apart. The Belarusian scored points without much difficulty and gradually moved into the lead. The final game ended with a score of 6:3 in favor of Victoria.
Became a Belgian tennis player
After all the emotional turmoil that the Belarusian tennis player faced in Australia, another unpleasant surprise awaited her. At the award ceremony, Victoria was given a championship cup, where the country represented by the tennis player was incorrectly indicated: instead of BLR (Belarus), it was written BEL (Belgium). But the champion of the Australian tournament was not at all upset by such a setup from the organizers.
– This is not the worst thing that could happen. The main thing is that I won the title, and I think everyone already knows which country I’m playing for,” Victoria said.
In 2013, Victoria Azarenka won the Australian Open for the last time. Exactly ten years later, another Belarusian tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, was able to follow in the footsteps of her stellar predecessor and bring the championship cup home.
Tomorrow the final match of the women’s tournament will take place, where the Belarusian will meet with the Chinese Zheng Qingwen. Very soon it will become known whether Arina will be able to retain the Australian Open title and regain the title of world number one, lost in the fall.
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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