Tennis
A brilliant start to the Australian Open for Russia! Medvedev and Rublev confirmed the class
Daniil made me a little nervous, but still started in Melbourne with a confident victory.
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev simultaneously began the Australian Open 2026 with victories. Both Russian tennis players confidently passed the first round, even if the match scenarios turned out to be different. Medvedev had to spend almost three hours and go through a nervous ending, while Rublev dealt with his opponent quickly and to the point.
Medvedev’s nervous start and victory via tiebreaker
Daniil Medvedev started the tournament with a match against Jesper de Jong and immediately set the pace high. Already in the first game, the Russian made a break, but was unable to get through the opening game calmly. The Dutchman returned to the game several times, and with the score 5:4, Medvedev was unable to serve for the set. Nevertheless, Daniil added again at the reception and closed the game – 7:5 in 59 minutes.
In the second set, Medvedev looked noticeably more confident. A quick break, then another – and the score was 3:0 at the start. This time the Russian did not delay: the game ended with a score of 6:2, and from the very first set point.
The third set turned out to be the most intense. De Jong fought back, saved break points and forced Medvedev to run a lot. Daniil still took the lead with a break and was close to closing the match at 5:4 and 6:5, but both times he failed to handle his serve, making several double faults. Everything was decided in a tiebreaker, where Medvedev scored a beautiful point – 7:6 (7:2).
Result – 7:5, 6:2, 7:6 (7:2) in 2 hours 55 minutes. Medvedev made nine aces, converted seven out of 13 break points and after the match honestly admitted that the start was not easy.
– Today was hard – it was my first match at a Grand Slam tournament this year. Last season I often lost in the first round at such competitions; here I managed to win only one match. I hope to improve in the next meetings. In some episodes I should have acted more accurately, but the first lap at a Slam is always difficult,” Medvedev said in an interview after the match.
In the second round of the Australian Open, the Russian will play against Frenchman Quentin Ghaly, who ranks 83rd in the ATP rankings.
Rublev passed Arnaldi without any drama
Andrei Rublev in his opening match against Matteo Arnaldi did not have a long swing. In the first set, the key game was the fifth game, when the Russian broke the Italian’s serve and led 3:2. This advantage was enough for Rublev – 6:4 in 48 minutes. In the second game, Andrey immediately went ahead – 4:0, confidently held his serve and calmly closed the set with a score of 6:2 in just half an hour.
In the third set, Arnaldi tried to cling to the match. After the break, Rublev found himself under pressure on his serve: he was losing 15:40, but withstood the pressure, pulled out a difficult game and confirmed the advantage – 4:2. Then the Russian controlled the situation and brought the match to victory. The Italian’s double fault on match point put an end to it.
Rublev won the match in 1 hour 52 minutes – 6:4, 6:2, 6:3, completing eight aces and not allowing his opponent to convert a single break point. In the second round of the Australian Open, Andrey will meet with 22-year-old Portuguese Jaime Faria.
The bright start of our tennis players gives reason to hope that they will be able to go far through the grid of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. Moreover, it is very important for both Daniil and Andrey to start the season successfully, since for both of them the game largely depends on their psychological state.
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.
Tennis
Alexandra Oleynikova – Madison Keys. Prediction and announcement for the Australian Open match
They will meet in the first round of the Australian Open on January 20. Alexandra Oleynikova (WTA 90) and Madison Keys (WTA 9).
The start of the event is scheduled for 02:30 Kyiv time.
Sport.ua together with a betting partner bet announcing the upcoming fight!
Alexandra Oleynikova
The upcoming match is extremely important for the career of the Ukrainian football player; It will make its debut in the main draw of the Grand Slam tournaments. This success was due to a strong season in which the Ukrainian won three WTA 125 and four ITF tournaments. It is worth noting that all successes were on the field.
Oleynikova is the current winner of the tournament and will start against an overall strong opponent. The Ukrainian did not play in any other tournaments before making his debut at the Australian Open, so his current form is difficult to determine.
Madison Keys
The American athlete needs no introduction; He is ranked in the top 10 and is also the current winner of the Australian Open. Last season, Keys managed to win the first major title of his career and before that he won the title in Adelaide. Then there were still good performances, but such successes were not achieved.
Madison started this season with a tournament in Brisbane, where he beat compatriot Kessler 6:4, 6:3 and then neutral Schneider 6:7, 7:6, 7:6. In the quarter-finals, the American lost to the world’s first racket, Aryna Sabalenka, 3:6, 3:6. There was also a tournament in Adelaide where she failed to defend the title, Keys beating Czech Valentova 6:4, 6:1 and then losing to future finalist Victoria Mboko 4:6, 6:4, 2:6.
To guess
Of course, the tennis players have never met before and Keys is seen as the big favorite in the upcoming match. Judging by the bookmakers’ odds, it all comes down to the question of how much the Ukrainian will lose.
Oleynikova will have to play against a real monster of modern tennis, it is important not to get psychologically exhausted. Although everyone expects a crushing victory for the American, I bet on Alexandra’s success with a match handicap of +7.5 to 1.75, it will be difficult to fight for victory, but it is realistic to impose the fight.
Alexander Oleynikova01/20/2026 –
02:30
Madison Keys 1.75 place a bet KRAIL License No. 559 dated 12/05/2024 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.
January 20 Ukrainian tennis player Angelina Kalinina (WTA 179) will begin competing in the 2026 Australian Open main draws.
The Ukrainian player will play against the Chinese representative in the first round Wang Xinyu (WTA46). The match will start with the second start on Court No. 7 after Lumsden / Tang Qianhui – Sarah Errani / Jasmine Paolini. The estimated start time of the match is 03:30 Kyiv time.
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This will be the first head-to-head meeting between the rivals.
The winner of the match will face Rebekka Shramkova or Alena Ostapenko in the second round.
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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.
They will face each other in the first round of the Australian Open on January 20 Angelina Kalinina (WTA 178) – Wang Xinyu (WTA 43).
The match is scheduled to start at 03.30 Kyiv time.
Sport.ua together with a betting partner bet announcing the upcoming fight!
Angelina Kalinina
The Ukrainian athlete was out of the top 100 last season and will be out of action for six months. In December, Kalinina managed to take the cup in Limoges – there was a good squad at the WTA 125 tournament.
The athlete tried to play in Adelaide, but immediately lost to Hungarian Bondar in qualifying with scores of 4:6, 6:7. The first big game of the season also had to start with the qualifying matches; Here they managed to beat Garland from Taiwan 7:5, 6:2, Koevermans from the Netherlands 7:6, 6:0 and in the final they beat Chwalinska from Poland 5:7, 6:2, 6:1.
A good game in qualifying clearly boosted Kalinina’s confidence; The Ukrainian athlete reached the third round at the Australian Open the most, and he should try to break his personal record.
Wang Xinyu
The Chinese athlete must be familiar to Ukrainian tennis fans because it was Wang who recently played in the final of the tournament in Auckland, where she lost to Elina Svitolina 3:6, 6:7. Although he could not win the title, the tennis player can definitely be satisfied with his performance, because he beat rivals such as American McNally – 2:6, 6:3, 7:5, Mexican Sarazua – 7:5, 6:4, British Jones – 6:4, 4:3, and Francesca withdrew. In the semi-final, a tough victory was achieved against Eala from the Philippines, 5:7, 7:5, 6:4.
There was also a tournament in Hobart, where the Chinese woman started with a 6:2, 6:3 victory over Australian Gibson, followed by a 1:6, 5:7 defeat by Poland’s Linette. Wang never got past the second round at the Australian majors.
To guess
Statistics show that the athletes have never played each other, and on paper the Chinese woman is a slight favourite. There is a meeting of two powerful middle peasants, so we can expect an approximately equal struggle.
It is important for tennis players to play to their strengths. I think such a match could be extended, so I predict the total over 20.5 matches will be 1.74.
Angelina Kalinina01/20/2026 –
03:30
Wang Xinyu 1.74 place a bet KRAIL License No. 559 dated 12/05/2024 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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