Naomi Osaka beat Jennifer Brady to win her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam crown, extending her win streak to 21 matches.
Czech defending champion Katerina Siniakova fended off Maria Sharapova in a fiercely contested match at the Shenzhen Open on Friday to set up a final with world number one Simona Halep.
Osaka also reached the final of the Western & Southern Open, which was held at Flushing Meadows this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to withdraw against Azarenka due to an injury.
This will be her first appearance at the tournament since she was ousted in the second round in 2017.
World No 1 Serena Williams overcame a dreadful second set to beat Germany's Sabine Lisicki.
Reactions to Novak Djokovic winning his 20th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon
Penpix of the top women's contenders at the 2021 Australian Open
A summary of Friday's tennis action from around the world.
Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas slayed another tennis giant on Saturday, saving a match point as he toppled big-serving Kevin Anderson 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7) in a thriller to set up a Rogers Cup final against top seed Rafael Nadal.
'I think what Venus and her sister have given our sport is absolutely tremendous. The way they've elevated women's tennis is truly inspiring'
Karolina Pliskova overcame a slow start before beating Garbie Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) in her opening match at the WTA Finals. In a contest between two former No. 1-ranked players, the third-seeded Pliskova struggled early adjusting to the nearly 5,000-feet altitude of Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city on Wednesday.
The unseeded Ostapenko, 20, downed Romanian third seed Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final, hitting a staggering 54 winners and taking her tournament tally to 299.
A summary of Friday's play at Wimbledon.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the US Open played at Flushing Meadows in New York on Tuesday.
Serena Williams returns to the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday
The women's singles is wide open, Arantxa said, but picked Halep as favourite.
Maria Sharapova is used to having to rebuild from scratch after suffering a string of debilitating injuries throughout her career, but the Russian is still surprised at how well she is playing in her latest comeback at the WTA Finals.
Novak Djokovic will begin his Australian Open title defence against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while reigning women's champion Sofia Kenin meets wild card Maddison Inglis, following the draw for the year's first Grand Slam on Friday.
Dowse said that the women's competition will see 10 former Grand Slam champions, including 23-time major winner Serena Williams, along with 81 of the top 100. In the men's event, seven of the world top ten are competing.
This year's Australian Open will be allowed to admit up to 30,000 fans a day, around 50% of usual capacity, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Serena Williams sits out a fourth straight Grand Slam, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova will join Caroline Wozniacki in a quest for a major breakthrough in Australia.
Top seeded Ash Barty overcame a slow start to defeat Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1, while Simona Halep battled past Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6 7-5 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday.
Images from Day 1 at the Australian Open.
Nadal, playing his first match since losing to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semi-finals, fell behind 5-2 in the tiebreak before roaring back to prevail in his first career meeting with world number 53 Evans.
Images from Day 3 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Pliskova will be guaranteed toppling Germany's Angelique Kerber if she prevails against Halep who would need to go on and take the title to seize the top ranking.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday
Serena Williams recovered from a set down to beat Australian Ashleigh Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book a place in the third round.
Former world number one Garbine Muguruza was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Aryna Sabalenka in the China Open second round on Tuesday while an ailing Jelena Ostapenko lost 6-0, 6-0 to Wang Qiang.
Czech Karolina Pliskova rose to the top of the WTA rankings without striking a ball on Tuesday as results at Wimbledon saw her overhaul Germany's Angelique Kerber.
Tennis great Serena Williams limped out of Wimbledon in tears on Tuesday after her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles crown ended in injury.
Murky skies and drizzle could not dampen the enthusiasm of spectators arriving on Monday
Serena Williams faces her first seeded opponent at the French Open on Thursday and will hope to use her booming serve to beat Australian Ashleigh Barty in the second round.
Former world number one Serena Williams returns to Grand Slam action for the first time in over 15 months, when she goes up against Czech Kristyna Pliskova in the French Open first round.
Sam Stosur powered into the French Open quarter-finals with a 7-6(0), 6-3 win against Simona Halep in Paris on Tuesday, adapting better to damp and heavy conditions than her higher-ranked Romanian opponent.
Multiple grand slam champion Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Brisbane International on Tuesday after suffering an arm injury in practise less than two weeks before the Australian Open.
Here are eight women to watch during the US Open which starts on Monday.
Sizzling hot Andy Murray roared into his seventh successive final with a commanding victory over Canadian Milos Raonic at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Osaka said her dominance in the rematch showed how much better she had become at sticking to a plan rather than relying on her instincts.
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