Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Excited and in ready position.
We’ve got one more day before the Australian Open begins, but there are still some exciting finals in the hours ahead. In particular, we here at Court Theory HQ are excited for the Mirra Andreeva vs. Victoria Mboko final in Adelaide for a bunch of reasons we’ll get into below. But let’s also acknowledge what Sebastian Baez is doing in 2026!
And, in case you missed yesterday’s email, be sure to check out the item below on our Elina Svitolina signature racket giveaway. 👇🏻
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 Win Elina Svitolina’s racket: We’ve partnered with Diadem to give away one of Elina Svitolina’s stunning new rackets: The Elina Svitolina Signature Axis 98. The racket giveaway is for Court Theory Plus members who have signed up for a yearly subscription. And, if you’re a monthly subscriber, Diadem’s got you covered, too, with a backpack filled with gear coming in at a $150+ value. If you’re already a Court Theory Plus member, you’re already entered. Upgrade Now!
🎾 Baez is at it again: If the ATP Tour Finals started tomorrow instead of the Australian Open, Sebastian Baez would be the top seed. That’s because he’s on a seven-match winning streak to kick off the year. Not only did he take out Jaume Munar, Taylor Fritz, and Stan Wawrinka at the United Cup, but he’s now defeated Emilio Nava, Jenson Brooksby, Ben Shelton, and Marcos Giron in Auckland, landing him in the final against Jakub Mensik. Notching that many wins has put him atop the live rankings for the ATP Finals Race.
Intriguing: This start is similar to how he dominated on clay in 2024, the year he reached his career-high ranking of 18. But now he’s doing it on a hard court. 🤯
Yes, but: Can he do it at the majors? He’s only made it to the third round twice in his career. At maaayyybe 5’7”, it takes a lot, physically, to take down top players. In a best-of-five scenario, it’s a big ask for a small body. The difference in size will be no starker than the first round of the Australian Open when he faces 6’7” Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
🎾 One to watch: Mirra Andreeva vs. Victoria Mboko (Final - WTA 500 - Adelaide): Watch this one because it has all the hallmarks of a lifelong rivalry in the making: two rapidly rising teens who are crowd favorites with coaches who had something of a rivalry of their own. Expect Andreeva to take counterpunching to the next level to see exactly how many winners Mboko can hit. And expect Mboko to test Andreeva’s emotional patience.
The record: This will be the first time Andreeva and Mboko face each other.
On the line: This match is about going into the Australian Open with the utmost confidence and setting the tone for what will certainly be a many times coming head-to-head.
🎾🏆🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 50% of you said Jakub Mensik would win, and 50% of you said Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard would win. Mensik won 6-4, 6-2.)
And that’s game.
