Tennis Tour Spotlight: Pre-AO Tournaments Bring Clarity

It's finally that time of the year again. Pro tennis has returned to the courts, and in just the week of action there are already clues as to who is ready for a successful season. Apart from the United Cup, the centerpiece of pro tennis in January's opening week, there were two ATP tour and two WTA tour tournaments in play this week that attracted top talent and provided dedicated viewers who were willing to adjust with the timezone some exceptional shotmaking. Let's dive into what went down across Australia, New Zealand, and China these past few days. 

Bublik Starts Off with a Bang in Hong Kong 

Alexander Bublik returned to the winner's circle early Sunday morning having faced off against four dangerous opponents this past week. Seeded 2nd at the ATP event, the 28-year-old received a customary "bye" which pushed his first battle to Thursday. Pitted against Botic van de Zandschulp, Bublik fired down twelve aces to ease past the Dutchman three and three. He next encountered home hope J.C. Shang in Friday's quarterfinal, and again managed to get through in two sets. The semi-final was a little trickier, with American Marcos Giron claiming the first set 6-3 before the 2nd seed came back to reach the championship, 6-4, 6-2. 

Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

On paper, Bublik's final test, top seed Lorenzo Musetti, should have been the hardest. Musetti had spent more time on court, after nearly losing his first round match and battling it out with Andrey Rublev in the semifinals to the last ball. But Bublik was ready for the task, and after a grueling first set which he won 7-6, he soared to victory in the next, 6-3. With this victory, Bublik cracks the top ten and seems to be playing at a perfect level heading into the year's first slam. While he may not be a "favorite" to leave Australia with the trophy, he is surely capable of causing a real stir Down Under. 

Sabalenka Starts Year Strong in Brisbane 

Four-time grand slam champion Aryna Sabalenka returned to the WTA Tour on Monday after completing a stint of exhibition events late last year, and the results are surely promising for the Belarusian as she left the capital of Queensland with some silverware in the suitcase. Facing off against a mix of talent, Sabalenka didn't drop a set en route to victory. She began against doubles specialist Cristina Bucsa, where she dropped just one game in the entire match which came in the second set. She next faced an unranked but in form Sorana Cirstea, who is returning to the tour for a final season before retirement. Sabalenka made quick work of the Romanian in two sets, three and three. Her quarterfinal matchup was perhaps the most intriguing one of the week, as she found herself against Madison Keys, who defeated her in last year's Australian Open final. This was no problem for the top seed, who took down the American quickly. Karolina Muchova was the next victim of Sabalenka's destructive path, and managed to keep things relatively close bowing out 3-6, 4-6. 

Photo credit: 2026 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

The 27-year-old just had one last match to win, but there was a tricky opponent waiting on the other side of the net. 11th seed Marta Kostyuk was ready for the challenge, having defeated 2nd seed Amanda Anisimova, 6th seed Mirra Andreeva, and 4th seed Jessica Pegula in the previous three rounds, respectively. Even with this impressive roster of high-level wins, nothing could prepare her for Sabalenka who is clearly the best player in the world right now. The Belerusian stormed out quickly, using the one crucial break in the first set to win it, 6-4. She repeated the pattern in the second, 6-3, and walked away with a packed week of results that surely state that she is the Australian Open favorite. 

Medvedev Follows up on Late Success in 2025

After falling outside the top ten last year, it didn't look as though Daniil Medvedev would remain a top player any longer. But last October, he won a small ATP 250 title which may have given himself some confidence, and after a month away from the court he returned fresh and ready for the new season. While he didn't tackle another seeded player this week, there were plenty of contenders in Brisbane that could have given the Russian a real hard time. Despite this, Medvedev stayed consistent and determined, and played five convincing matches that show he may be ready to level it up this season. 

Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil for ATP Tour

The top seed took down Marton Fucsovics on Monday in two, and followed that up with a similar victory against the first of three Americans he would go onto defeat this week, Frances Tiafoe. His only real challenge came in the quarterfinals, where a relatively unheard of Kamil Majchrzak claimed the opening set in a tiebreak before the 2021 US Open champion sank into the battle and overcame the Pole. Next up was American Alex Michelsen, who will be making the trek out to the Delray Beach Open next month. Medvedev didn't find the youngster all too tricky, and returned to the two-set victory pattern. His final opponent was Brandon Nakashima, who did make things a little more interesting. After a 6-2 blowout opening set for Medvedev, Nakashima stayed in it and pushed a tiebreak in the second. That's when Medvedev unlocked a whole new level, and made quick work of the American, 7-1, to take the title. 

Top Seed Svitolina Wins in Auckland

Elina Svitolina won her 19th title this week at the only tour-level event in New Zealand, the ASB Classic in Auckland. Though there were a few difficult encounters, the Ukranian stayed in the driver's seat all week and played some impressive tennis across five matches. She opened against Frenchwoman Vavara Gracheva, who she took down 6-3, 6-1. Next up was Katie Boulter, who was unseeded yet still a hard player to conquer. Svitolina had to work a little harder for this one, coming through again in two, five and four. Next up was Sonay Kartal, and this quarterfinal battle ended up being the most intense match of the tournament. It started off easy with Svitolina snatching the first set, 6-4, but then the Brit bit back by holding her own in the second and staying gritty in a tiebreak to force a third. Once again, the two held out until the score was leveled at 6-6, but a determined Svitolina would not let a repeat of the last tiebreak occur. She hung on, and barely bought herself a ticket to the semifinals with a nail-biting score of 7-5 in points. 

Photo credit: Charleston Tennis LLC.

The tour veteran now found herself against 18-year-old and third seed Iva Jovic, and a confrontational first set ended again in a tiebreak, which Svitolina one once again, 7-5. But the next set was not a problem for the top seed, and the top seed quickly marched to victory, 6-2. 7th seed Xinyu Wang was her final challenge, but it didn't turn out to be a real challenge at all for the in-form Svitolina. The 31-year-old claimed the opening set 6-3, before easing back a bit in the second. After Wang dragged her into a tiebreak, Svitolina had to avoid letting her opponent back into the match in the third. While Wang played beautifully, sticking with her to the final grueling moment, the resilient Svitolina came out on top, 8-6 in points to cement a memorable victory. 

===

Written by Will Turvey. Top photo credit: Rolex.