Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Wowed + a bit of ‘it’s about time’!
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 Sabalenka roars into AO final: Aryna Sabalenka routined Elina Svitolina in the semifinals on Thursday, 6-2, 6-3 — but not without a little controversy along the way. In the fourth game, Sabalenka was called for a hindrance after belting out an unusual scream in the middle of the point. After a slight delay and a video review, the call remained. But Sabalenka was more than fine with it in the end.
What she said: “I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game. So if she ever want[s] to do it again, like, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, call it. It’s going to help me.”
The numbers: Sabalenka hit 29 winners compared to Svitolina’s 12.
Svitolina’s perspective: “I was returning good, but then her second shot was unbelievable,” Svitolina said. “She had another punch coming, the second shot after her serve. So, I mean, that’s why she’s world number one.”
A helpful announcement: In the hope of suppressing any confusion and booing from the crowd over no handshake between Sabalenka and Svitolina, the AO made an announcement: “At the conclusion of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect for both athletes during and following the match.” Bravo.
🎾 Rybakina sets it up: Elena Rybakina survived a second-set wobble against Jessica Pegula to win in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7). Rybakina had an excellent serving day with six aces and no double faults. Although her first serve percentage was a touch low at 55 percent, she won 73% of those points and 48 percent of her second serve points. She also had more than double the number of winners Pegula had at 31 compared to 14.
What she said: “It’s so tough with her because you just know that she can throw in a couple aces at any time,” Pegula said of Rybakina. “She threw in a couple big serves at the end in that tiebreak. How she always kind of keeps you guessing with the serve, I think is definitely one of her strengths.”
🎾 Serena’s return: Appearing on the Today Show on Wednesday, Serena Williams evaded answering questions about her return to professional tennis. When asked by host Savannah Guthrie, she replied, “I mean, really? Are you asking this on the Today show? Oh my goodness,” adding, “Now people on set are laughing. It’s distracting. I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now.” Final answer: “I don’t know, I’m just going to see what happens.”
Recently: In December, Williams re-entered the anti-doping testing pool that is required of athletes competing. At the time, she posted on X: “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
The timing: The lead time required means Williams would be eligible to play in time for the grass court season. Perhaps it’s worth perusing the Wimbledon packages from our friends at Grand Slam Tennis Tours.
🎾 One to watch: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev (Semifinals - Australian Open): Watch this one to see which version of each player shows up. Will it be a focus-deprived Carlos Alcaraz? Will it be a chokey Alexander Zverev? When the best versions of both show up at the same time, it’s some of the best tennis to be seen.
The record: The head-to-head record between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev is tied at six apiece, including 2-2 in best-of-five scenarios at majors.
On the line: Zverev has finalist points to defend from last year, but this match is about more than that for him. This is about whether he truly belongs at the top of the game as the number three player in the world, who has less than half the ranking points of number two, Jannik Sinner. For Alcaraz, it’s about a chance to win another major, which would give him the career Grand Slam at the age of 22.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 77.78% of you called for Elina Svitolina to defeat Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka won the match, 6-2, 6-3.)
And that’s game.
