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Australian Open 2026 Women’s Day 6

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Two-time title winner Aryna Sabalena survived a huge test from feisty Anastasia Potapov on Friday to squeeze out a narrow 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) win into the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The world No. 1 had her hands full with her newly minted Austrian opponent, with Potapova fighting from a set and 4-0 down to come close to the upset.

The 55th-ranked challenger who changed nationality in the last few months, broke the seed  

Leading 4-1, Sabalenka lost her next three service games but survived with a love game to set up a tiebreaker in the second set.

Potapova missed her chances to take it into a deciding set, double-faulting on a third break point chance in the tiebreak and putting a ball into the net on her fourth set point.

Sabalenka earned a quick match point and converted to escape with the fraught win after two hours as she played an opponent still healing a broken finger encased in a brace.

““I was trying to figure out how to connect my body. It seemed like my brain was somewhere else, my arms were going one direction, my …… was going the other direction,” Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka’s great escape keeps alive her hopes of a possible Melbourne title hat-trick after winning the major back-to-back in 2023 and 202; she finished runner-up a year ago to Madison Keys.

“I was just trying to stay there. I was trying to fight. I’m super happy

with my mentality today on the match. That was the only thing that really

helped me to get the win.

“”It’s all about your mental strength to be there, to just try your best, to put the ball ugly, with the terrible technique,

“You have to stay there and you have to fight and you have to show your opponent that no matter how I feel, no matter what’s going on, 

“Obviously I had tactic going into the match. But when you see that things are not working, the only tactic you got is fight and try to put the ball back on that side. That was my approach today.”

Sabalenka will next take on a rigin player nearly a decade her junior when she faces Victoria Mboko in the fourth round.

The Canadian booked her spot with a 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3 win over Dane Clara Tauson‪.

Mboko could not be more excited about her next match in the spotlight.

“I think it’s super cool. I’ve never played a current No. 1 in the world. That’s going to be a very different experience.

“I assume we’d be playing on Rod Laver, as well. I’ve never played on a Grand Slam centre court either… a lot of firsts.

“I’m just really excited. It’s something not many people get to experience. To be doing that on Sunday is, I think, really cool. Just to show what I got.”Third seed Coco Gauff survived a scare from a compatriot, coming back after dropping the opening set to overhaul Hailey Baptiste 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

“I just had to keep trying to be aggressive, she was dictating a lot, especially on

her forehand side,” Gauff said.

“I thought I served better in the second and third set, got more first
serves in, and overall I think just trying to put her on the back foot/”

Czech Karolina Muchov ran down Poland’s Magda Linetti with a 6-1, 6-1 rout. American teenager Iva Jovic defeated two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who was suffering with stomach problems, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Yulia Putintseva drew the wrath of fans after beating popular Turk Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3. The Kazakh did a small victory dance after reaching the second week of the event, enraging disappointed fans that much more. 

“Today there were a lot of disrespectful moments when they were screaming between my first and second serve.. like really loud, just to make me mistake.

{At one point) a guy just started coughing just for my shot. I was like, okay,
now, I’m not going to lose. 

“I was ready to fight like until I die there. What can I do? It’s just some people have education of tennis and, unfortunately, some of them not.”

The Australian Open

Fashion-forward Osaka will tone it down at RG

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Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.

The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.

But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..

The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,” 

The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..

For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.

“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.

“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.

“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).

“I know there are some kids or some people who are  similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits. 

“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”

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ATP

Kyrgios due to resurface on German grass

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Nick Kyrgios is being touted for a return to tennis after playing just one singles match all season, with the controversial Australian due in the lineups for Stuttgart and Halle in June.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist who turns 31 in a week, has been added to the entry lists for the pair of run-up events prior to the grass-court major which starts on June 29.

Kyrgios, who has missed months on end due to injury and motivational worries, has played just one Grand Slam match since 2022, losing in the Australian Open first round in 2025.

His lone outing this season was an ATP defeat in Brisbane on January 6.

Nevertheless, the acquired taste is feted as a crowd-puller and will have German organisers on alert as to his eventual availability.

“Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most ‌dazzling ⁠personalities in world tennis for years,” Halle tournament organisers said in a statement.

“The Australian is known for his exceptional playing style, characterised by one of the best serves on the tour, ⁠spectacular winners, and great creativity.

“At the same time, his emotional personality and charisma attract considerable attention far beyond the sport.”

Stuttgart start the day after the Roland Garros final while Halle follows a week later in northern Germany from June 13-21.

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ATP

Djoko dropping hints that career has short shelf life

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Novak Djokovic has been making it plain that the end of his career is approaching, with the 38-year-old dropping his strongest hint ever about his future on court.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion who has been keeping his ATP scheduling options open and has competed this season only at the Australian Open (finals loss to Carlos Alcaraz) and winning two rounds last month at Indian Wells.

“Tennis is still very important to me, but it’s no longer everything,” the Serb told Esquire Australia, adding that family matters and two children are starting to take precedence in his life.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges – finding the right balance between tennis and family life, especially as my children are growing and have school commitments, so they can’t travel with me as much as before.

“When I’m on the court, I’m motivated not just to win, but to set an example – to show them values like dedication, resilience, and love for what you do. That motivation is very powerful and very personal.”

Main photo:- Novak Djokovic was runner up to Carlos Alcaraz in AO26 – by ISF Ltd

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