Remake of the 2025 AO final

Two heavy-hitters but only one way forward...

…given the form the world number 1 is showing. She simply swallowed her first two opponents. Simple, powerful, clean and flawless. Classic Saba. I don’t have many more arguments to add here, the domination is that obvious. On top of that, she recently spoke out against the Australian authorities and the WTA regarding the high and intense pace of mandatory matches this season, which reveals a lot of aggressiveness and determination.

Madison came close to disaster today in a grueling three-hour match against Shnaider, with three tie-breaks. The last one saved her, but more thanks to the Russian’s unforced errors than the quality of her own game. In the first round, Kessler had made twice as many errors as winners, which wasn’t hard for Keys to deal with. The level she showed at the Australian Open has melted away like snow in the sun over the last six months. I doubt that will be enough against the Belarusian. I’m leaning more towards an Indian Wells-type scenario, where she only took one game in their match.

For me, this match is one-way only, based on the matches I’ve watched, and Sabalenka looks set to defend her crown in Brisbane.