Fourth seed receives Australian Open wildcard; Rublev falls to fiery opponent, exhausting three tiebreaks; Kecmanovic and Wang Qiang set to face Philippine top seed

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Friday, January 9, 2026. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Let's begin with some positive news. Early this morning Beijing time, the Australian Open confirmed a singles main draw wildcard for former champion and Swiss veteran Wawrinka. Since the fourth seed previously announced that 2026 would be his final professional season, whether he would compete at the Australian Open has been a major focus for fans. Now, the tournament organizers have fulfilled fan expectations, allowing the 40-year-old veteran to step onto the Melbourne courts one last time. Hopefully, he will receive a favorable draw!

Back to the courts. Last night Beijing time, the first quarterfinal match of the 2026 United Cup mixed team event in Sydney concluded. Belgium, relying on singles wins by Verhaeghs and Mertens, defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 overall and advanced to the semifinals where they will face Switzerland.

The final quarterfinal match will begin around 2:30 PM Beijing time today, featuring Poland versus host nation Australia.

Let's check other tournaments. Last night Beijing time, the ATP250 Hong Kong event completed its second round singles matches, with all quarterfinalists decided. Chinese young talent Shang Juncheng played excellently, defeating Italian veteran Sonego 6-3, 6-4, marking his third consecutive year reaching at least the quarterfinals here. Next, he will face second seed and Kazakh star Bublik for a semifinal spot, who won 6-3, 6-3 against Dutch player Van de Zandschulp.

The key match between Shang and Bublik is scheduled for 6 PM tonight; another quarterfinal highlight, Hong Kong’s Wong Chak Lam will face top seed and Italian star Musetti around 1:30 PM today. Good luck to the young Chinese players!

The ATP250 Brisbane singles second round concluded last night Beijing time, with Kovacevic, Pericard, Corentin, and Brandon Nakashima securing the four quarterfinal spots.

WTA500 Brisbane: In a quarterfinal match that ended around noon Beijing time today, third seed and Kazakh star Rybakina lost 2-6, 6-2, 4-6 to Czech player Muchova, missing the semifinals and ending her 13-match winning streak spanning seasons.

The second quarterfinal features top seed and world number one Sabalenka against fifth seed American Kecmanovic. The previous day, Kecmanovic battled Russian rising star Schneider for three hours and three tiebreaks, clinching a thrilling 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory, leaving her exhausted! It remains to be seen if she has enough stamina to challenge Sabalenka today. As of this report, the match has started and the score is tied 1-1. Who do you think will win this match?

WTA250 Auckland: In a singles quarterfinal played early this morning Beijing time, seventh seed and China’s second-ranked Wang Xinyu advanced to the semifinals after British opponent Jones retired due to injury while trailing 6-4, 4-3. This marks her tenth career appearance in a tour-level semifinal. Next, she will face Philippine top seed Ireana, who defeated Polish player Linette 6-3, 6-2.

Finally, a guessing game. The picture below shows a player diving underwater. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was correct. Yes, the person in the picture is the men’s singles world number one, Alcaraz.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Maverick)