Spencer Cashmill
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WTA Rankings in January 2026
Check the full WTA rankings for January 2026, including player positions, ranking points, age and country. This searchable ranking table lets you filter players by part of a name, country code or age, making it easier to find specific players and compare the women’s tennis rankings from this period of the season. Looking for the…
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“People to Throw and Choke”: Inside Aryna Sabalenka’s Inner Circle Ahead of Australian Open Final
As Aryna Sabalenka prepares to walk onto Rod Laver Arena for yet another Australian Open final, the world No.1 does so backed by one of the tightest and most unconventional support teams in women’s tennis. At the heart of that group stands Jason Stacy, Sabalenka’s performance coach — a figure as central to her rise…
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Rybakina Returns to the Final Stage: Kazakh Star Outlasts Pegula to Book Australian Open 2026 Showdown
Elena Rybakina is back on a Grand Slam final stage for the first time in three years — and once again, it comes in Melbourne. The world No.5 edged past Jessica Pegula 6–3, 7–6(9) in a gripping Australian Open semi-final, surviving a second-set scare in which Pegula saved three match points before Rybakina finally closed…
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Power, Initiative and Fine Margins: Roddick and Clijsters Break Down the Sabalenka–Rybakina Australian Open Final
As Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina prepare to meet once more on the sport’s biggest stage, two former world No.1s have weighed in on what could decide the 2026 Australian Open women’s final. Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters, speaking on the Served with Roddick podcast, outlined why this rematch may hinge on initiative, first-strike tennis…
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Emma Raducanu Splits With Francisco Roig Ahead of Cluj Comeback
Emma Raducanu has ended her partnership with Francisco Roig, marking yet another coaching change in a career still defined by the long shadow of her US Open triumph in 2021. The decision comes just days before the former world No.10 is set to return to competition at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca. Roig, a long-time…
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Moscow – Minsk in Melbourne: Rybakina Avoids Late Semi-Final Second-Serve Meltdown against Battling Pegula
Elena Rybakina is heading back to the Australian Open final — but not without a scare. The 2023 finalist overcame Jessica Pegula 6–3, 7–6(7) in a high-quality, tension-filled second semi-final on Rod Laver Arena, surviving a late wobble on serve and a defiant fightback from the American to set up a blockbuster rematch with world…
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Sabalenka Slams the Door: World No. 1 Powers Past Svitolina Into Another Australian Open Final
Aryna Sabalenka does not linger when the path is clear. Once Elina Svitolina briefly cracked the door open in the second set, the world No. 1 shut it with force, authority, and ruthless efficiency. A 6–2, 6–3 semifinal win sent Sabalenka into her fourth consecutive Australian Open final, a streak that now feels almost routine…
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Serena Steps In: Williams and Swiatek Defend Coco Gauff After Australian Open Meltdown
Coco Gauff’s Australian Open ended not with a rally, but with a release. After a one-sided quarterfinal loss to Elina Svitolina, cameras caught the 21-year-old unloading her frustration in the locker room — and within hours, the tennis world was debating where emotion ends and optics begin. One voice cut cleanly through the noise. Serena…
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Australian Open 2026 WTA Semi-Finals Preview: Power, Pressure and the Numbers That Matter
The women’s singles draw at the Australian Open reaches its sharpest point on Thursday, January 29, with two semi-finals that pit dominance against resilience and momentum against consistency. Aryna Sabalenka faces Elina Svitolina in a rivalry shaped by tension and control, while Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula meet in a clash that has remained perfectly…
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“The lack of compassion and empathy is beyond devastating”: Danielle Collins Speaks Out as Few American Tennis Voices Do
Danielle Collins has never been especially interested in playing it safe. This week, the former Australian Open finalist again stepped outside the usual lines, becoming the most outspoken American tennis player to address the social and political climate in the United States during this year’s tournament. In a series of Instagram stories, Collins shared an…
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Pegula Breaks the Melbourne Barrier to Reach First Australian Open Semifinal
Jessica Pegula has finally kicked in a door that had refused to budge for three straight years. The world No.6 reached her third career Grand Slam semifinal — and her first outside the United States — by beating Amanda Anisimova 6–2, 7–6(1) in a tense Australian Open quarterfinal that demanded both control and nerve. Pegula,…
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Rybakina Rips Control From Swiatek to Storm Into 2026 Melbourne Semifinal
Elena Rybakina didn’t just beat Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open quarterfinals — she took the match away from her. One late opening in the first set was all the Kazakh needed. From there, the momentum swung hard, the points stacked quickly, and Swiatek never recovered as Rybakina closed out a commanding 7–5, 6–1 win…
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Muguruza Welcomes First Child as a New Chapter Begins Off Court
Garbine Muguruza has entered a different kind of first week. The former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion announced that she gave birth to her first child last week, welcoming a son, Marcos Borges Muguruza, with her husband Arthur — the man she famously met by chance in New York’s Central Park. Retired from…
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Svitolina Picks Gauff Apart to Reach First Australian Open Semifinal
Elina Svitolina has waited a long time for Melbourne to feel like hers. On Tuesday, it finally did. The Ukrainian shredded a strangely flat Coco Gauff 6–1, 6–2 to reach her first Australian Open semifinal and a fourth Grand Slam semi overall, turning a marquee quarterfinal into something close to a training drill. For the…
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Sabalenka Ends Jovic’s Fairytale — Power, Heat, and Hierarchy in Melbourne
Iva Jovic’s rise over the past two weeks will take her knocking on the door of the Top 20, but heart only goes so far against the world No.1. Aryna Sabalenka halted the 18-year-old’s breakout run with a firm 6–3, 6–0 win, underlining the distance that still exists between promise and dominance — and positioning…
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Anisimova Digs Deep to Break Xinyu Wang’s Impressive Resistance
Amanda Anisimova advanced to the Australian Open 2026 Round of 16 after a straight-sets win over Xinyu Wang. Here’s how the match was decided—and what it means ahead of her clash with Jessica Pegula. Anisimova’s Tiebreak Edge Decides a Hold-Heavy Opener The opening set was all about serve stability and patience, with neither Xinyu Wang…
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Pegula Ends Keys’ Title Defense With Cold Precision in Melbourne
Jessica Pegula has a knack for turning familiar matchups into unfinished business settled. On Sunday in Melbourne, the world No.6 dismantled defending champion Madison Keys’ Australian Open title defense with a controlled 6–3, 6–4 win, leaning on discipline, patience, and a ruthless reading of Keys’ errors to reach the quarterfinals. It was Pegula’s fourth quarterfinal…
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Gauff Keeps Muchova in Check to Reach Australian Open Quarterfinals
Coco Gauff has a habit of making uncomfortable matchups look familiar. Karolina Muchova arrived with variety, timing, and the kind of all-court craft that can derail even the best-laid plans. She left with the same result as everyone else who has faced Gauff: a loss, and a growing sense that this particular puzzle remains unsolved.…
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Svitolina Exploits Andreeva’s Forehand to Reach the AO26 Quarterfinals
Elina Svitolina’s comeback story keeps finding new chapters. In a compelling fourth-round Australian Open (all AO26 results) clash against teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva, the Ukrainian delivered a masterclass in resilience, focus, and controlled aggression. What began as a test of nerves and momentum swings ultimately became a showcase of Svitolina’s renewed authority — a performance…
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Swiatek Stumbles, Resets, Advances — and Now Braces for a Home Crowd Test
Iga Swiatek was made to work for her authority in Melbourne. The six-time Grand Slam champion surrendered her first set of the tournament before regrouping to beat Anna Kalinskaya 6–1, 1–6, 6–1, passing a genuine examination of rhythm, resolve, and reset at the Australian Open. The world No.2 had cruised through Yue Yuan and Marie…
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Jovic Blows the Doors Off in Melbourne — and Earns a Date With Sabalenka
Iva Jovic didn’t just reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open. She tore into it at full speed. The 18-year-old dismantled Yulia Putintseva 6–0, 6–1 in just 53 minutes, producing one of the most one-sided performances of the tournament and announcing herself as a genuine problem for anyone left in the draw.…
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Anisimova Turns Melbourne Into Familiar Territory as Stearns Is Swept Aside
Amanda Anisimova is starting to make the Australian Open feel like unfinished business. The world No.4 rolled past fellow American Peyton Stearns 6–1, 6–4 in just over 70 minutes, extending a Grand Slam run that now looks less like a streak and more like a statement. It was her 11th win across her last 17…
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What is the Australian Open’s Extreme Heat Policy?
The Australian Open’s Extreme Heat Policy is the tournament’s safety system for dealing with Melbourne’s most predictable wildcard: brutal January heat — and it was triggered on Saturday, January 24, as temperatures surged at Melbourne Park. It sets out when organisers can add extra recovery time for players, shift matches onto roofed arenas, and, in…
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Jana Fett Provisionally Suspended in ITIA Anti-Doping Case
Jana Fett has spent the opening weeks of 2026 as a tennis absentee — now we know why. On Friday, January 23, 2026, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that the 29-year-old Croatian has been provisionally suspended under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme after an in-competition test produced three prohibited substances. For a player who…
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Home of the Brave: Potapova Pushes Tie-Break Queen Sabalenka to the Edge
In the land of the brave, Big Science — and its little sister, Big Data — has already delivered its verdict: when sets tighten and walls appear, Aryna Sabalenka breaks them. Across the 2025 season she lost just three tiebreaks, winning 22 to set a record-breaking standard. This year, on another Melbourne afternoon built for…
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“Ten Days Without a Racket Isn’t Enough”: Swiatek Lays Bare the Physical Toll of an Eleven-Month Season
Iga Swiatek keeps winning, but she is not pretending it comes easily. After another efficient Australian Open performance, the world No. 2 spoke less about trophies and more about fatigue, using her Melbourne press conference to underline just how unforgiving the modern tennis calendar has become. Swiatek brushed aside Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-3 in the…
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Cirstea Fumes Over Osaka’s Conduct After Frosty Net Exchange in Melbourne
Naomi Osaka won the match, but she did not win over her opponent. Sorana Cirstea left the court visibly unhappy after a tense Australian Open second-round clash, offering a frosty embrace and lingering words at the net that suggested this was about more than just a three-set defeat. Osaka’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory carried her…
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Oksana Selekhmeteva Brings Badosa Back to Earth as Australian Open Exit Triggers Ranking Slide
Paula Badosa’s Australian Open comeback was brought back to earth with a thud. Oksana Selekhmeteva, playing with freedom and nerve, stunned the former world No. 2 in straight sets, delivering one of the early shocks of the tournament and triggering a steep rankings slide for the Spaniard. The 6-4, 6-4 defeat ends Badosa’s Melbourne run…
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The Price of January Glory: Why the Australian Open’s True Cost Won’t Go Away
Every January, Melbourne glows. The Australian Open fills the city with sunshine, soundtracks, and sold-out sessions, reinforcing its claim as a global sporting capital. Yet beneath the forehands and fireworks sits a quieter, more uncomfortable reality: the tournament has become one of Victoria’s most expensive long-term public commitments — and one still only partially understood.…
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Raducanu Runs Out of Answers Quickly as Potapova Flips the Script in Melbourne
Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open came to an abrupt and uncomfortable halt under the roof at the ANZ Arena, where Anastasia Potapova dismantled her 7–6(3), 6–2 with a mix of nerve, timing, and growing authority. What began as a scrappy arm-wrestle turned into a one-sided lesson in momentum — and composure. Seeded 29 and favored on…