Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3 in a brutally swift quarter-final on Tuesday to keep her Australian Open title defence firmly on course and set up a showdown with US Open champion Coco Gauff.
After the first two quarter-finals on Rod Laver Arena had run for a combined seven hours, Sabalenka came out firing as if to ensure that the court schedule would be back on track before the final clash of the day.
The Belarusian blew the former French Open champion off the court at times and extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 12 matches as she reached the last four having conceded only 16 games.
What is Wednesday’s order of play?
(All times GMT)
Rod Laver Arena
From 12am: Linda Noskova (Cze) v Dayana Yastremska (Ukr), (9) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) v (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus), Anna Kalinskaya (Rus) v (12) Qinwen Zheng (Chn), (6) Alexander Zverev (Ger) v (2) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa).
Margaret Court Arena
From 1am: Yannick Hanfmann (Ger) & Dominik Koepfer (Ger) v (7) Hugo Nys (Mon) & Jan Zielinski (Pol), (5) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) & Laura Siegemund (Ger) v (3) Storm Hunter (Aus) & Katerina Siniakova (Cze), Olivia Gadecki (Aus) & Marc Polmans (Aus) v (2) Desirae Krawczyk (US) & Neal Skupski (GB).
Court 3
From 12am: (6) Maximo Gonzalez (Arg) & Andres Molteni (Arg) v (2) Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Matthew Ebden (Aus), (9) Demi Schuurs (Ned) & Luisa Stefani (Bra) v (2) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Elise Mertens (Bel), Simone Bolelli (Ita) & Andrea Vavassori (Ita) v (8) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Tim Puetz (Ger), Jaimee Fourlis (Aus) & Andrew Harris (Aus) v (3) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Jan Zielinski (Pol)
When do the Australian Open finals take place?
The women’s final is on Saturday, January 27. The men’s final is on the following day: January 28.
How to watch the Australian Open on TV in the UK
In the UK, Eurosport has the broadcasting rights to live action from Melbourne and will be showing 260 hours of tennis. To watch on Discovery+, an Entertainment & Sport pass is £6.99/month or £59.99/year.
This year, Nick Kyrgios is part of Eurosport’s English-language commentary team, and is one of the highlights of a camera stream direct from the commentary booth. Kyrgios has been joined in Australia by presenters John McEnroe, Barbara Schett and Laura Robson, and from a London studio by new host Rachel Stringer.
How to watch the Australian Open on TV in the US
ESPN has the broadcasting rights to show the tournament.
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, Novak Djokovic claimed the men’s singles title for a record-extending 10th time after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Aryna Sabalenka claimed her first grand slam singles title in the women’s draw when she defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets.
Latest odds
To win the men’s title
- Novak Djokovic Evens
- Carlos Alcaraz 5/2
- Jannik Sinner 9/2
- Daniil Medvedev 10/1
- Alexander Zverev 50/1
- Andrey Rublev 50/1
- Hubert Hurkacz 80/1
To win the women’s title
- Aryna Sabalenka 5/6
- Coco Gauff 23/10
- Qinwen Zheng 15/2
- Linda Noskova 12/1
- Dayana Yastremska 30/1
- Anna Kalinskaya 33/1
Which British players are involved?
In the men’s draw, Andy Murray and Dan Evans lost in the opening round while Jack Draper was knocked out the second round. Cameron Norrie was the last man standing, before losing to Alexander Zverev in a fifth-set tie-break in the fourth round.
Among the women, Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter made it through to round two but failed to reach the third round. Jodie Burrage was knocked out in the first round.
When did the Australian Open start?
The tournament got under way on Sunday, January 14. It was the first Sunday start in the tournament’s history.
What is the Australian Open prize money?
This year’s Australian Open total prize money is a record 13 per cent increase on 2023 – £46.3 million will be shared by the field with the winners each taking home £1.68 million.
“We’ve upped prize money for every round at the Australian Open with the major increases in qualifying and the early rounds of singles and doubles,” Tiley said. “We want to ensure Australia remains the launchpad for the global tennis season and the players and their teams have everything they need to help them perform at their best and continue to enjoy the happy slam.”