Saturday’s singles semifinals across three different cities in Australia include seven Major singles champions. In Sydney, the second ATP Cup semifinal tie will be contested between Russia and Canada, headlined by reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. In Adelaide, World No.1 Ash Barty faces defending champion Iga Swiatek, while Marin Cilic participates in the ATP semis. And in Melbourne, semifinal action includes Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, and Simona Halep.
Each day, this preview will highlight the most prominent matches from around Australia.
Sydney: The ATP Cup, a Round Robin Team Event between 16 Nations
Order of Play is here.
Daniil Medvedev [RUS] vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime [CAN] – Second on Ken Rosewall Arena
The winning nation will face Spain in Sunday’s final. Medvedev is 5-1 between singles and doubles thus far, while Auger-Aliassime is 3-2. Daniil leads their head-to-head 2-0, which includes a straightforward, straight-set victory during last year’s US Open semifinals. The other singles matchup sees Denis Shapovalov as a considerable favorite over Roman Safiullin, though the 167th-ranked Russian has been most impressive this past week, matching Medvedev’s 5-1 record overall.
Adelaide: a WTA 500 Event, and an ATP 250 Event
WTA draw is here, ATP draw is here, and Order of Play is here.
Karen Khachanov (2) vs. Marin Cilic (3) – Not Before 3:00pm on Centre Court
Both times these players have met, it’s been on a hard court, and they’ve both gone to Cilic 6-4 in the third. That includes a match in St. Petersburg just a few months ago. For Marin, that was part of a solid two-week run, where he reached consecutive finals at two tournaments in Russia. Meanwhile, a victory on Saturday would mark the first time Karen has won three consecutive matches since his silver medal run in Tokyo six months ago.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Iga Swiatek (5) – Not Before 7:00pm on Centre Court
Barty comfortably defeated Sofia Kenin on Friday, and as per the WTA, struck a career-high 17 aces, and lost only one point on her first serve. Swiatek overcame an in-form Victoria Azarenka in three sets. Their only previous meeting occurred last May on the clay of Madrid, with Barty prevailing 7-5, 6-4.
Melbourne: Two WTA 250 Events, and an ATP 25 Event
The WTA draws are here and here, and the ATP draw is here. The Order of Play is here.
Simona Halep (2) vs. Qinwen Zheng (Q) – Not Before 1:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Halep played an excellent, grueling quarterfinal on Friday against Viktorija Golubic. Qinwen is a 19-year-old from China making her first WTA semifinal appearance, coming through qualifying to win five matches in six days.
Naomi Osaka (1) vs. Veronika Kudermetova (3) – 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
This will be the first career matchup between the four-time Major champ and the 24-year-old Russian. Kudermetova is the highest-ranked player Osaka has faced since Coco Gauff last August in Cincinnati. As per Tennis Abstract, Veronika went 3-15 last season against top 20 opposition.
Rafael Nadal (1) vs. Emil Ruusuvuori – Last on Rod Laver Arena
This will only be Rafa’s second singles match since last August. Nadal received a walkover in Friday’s quarterfinals, while Ruusuvuori easily defeated Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-1. The 22-year-old from Finland earned notable victories last season over Gael Monfils and Sascha Zverev.
