Sabalenka spent eight weeks at the summit last year before Swiatek overtook her with a victory at the season-ending WTA Finals and the Belarusian hopes for a longer stay as 'N1'.
The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded on Thursday to Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich in Stockholm. This year was the 107th time the prize has been awarded.
'I guess it'll force me to read books more, be more of a productive human probably.'
Top seed Sabalenka proved to be at another level, though, racking up 32 winners for the match to leave Badosa chasing shadows under the lights at Rod Laver Arena.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys made rocky starts on Thursday but eventually secured contrasting victories to set up a heavy metal Australian Open final showdown
Former champion Naomi Osaka was sent packing from Indian Wells after losing in straight sets to Colombia's Camila Osorio.
After successfully defending her Australian Open trophy in January, Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open crown in September for her third Grand Slam title.
Poland's Iga Swiatek will play in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga in November, where they face hosts Spain in the opening match, the world number two said on Tuesday
Chess governing body FIDE's general assembly agreed to consider lifting parts of a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, in a vote on Sunday in Budapest.
Svitolina wants to give Ukraine a 'little light' after reaching quarter-finals
Carlos Alcaraz kept his Indian Wells 'three-peat' campaign on track with a straight sets win against Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
Djokovic tamed local favourite Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-3 in what was the top seeded Serbian's first tour-level singles match since October.
Aryna Sabalenka took a step closer to a first trophy of the year before her Australian Open title defence begins later this month.
Novak Djokovic's bid for a 100th ATP Tour title gained momentum on Thursday
On-court coaching, previously banned and punishable by point deductions, disqualification or even suspension from tournaments is being positively encouraged at Melbourne Park with "coaching pods"
Athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow's closest ally in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, are barred from the Paris Games except for the few who will compete as neutral athletes without flags or anthems.
Good things come to those who wait as the saying goes -- but Madison Keys's wait may have seemed interminable.
Ukrania tennis player Yuliia Starodubtseva's home town of Kakhovka in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Moscow forces since the early days of the invasion, which Russia calls a special military operation.
Aryna Sabalenka opened her bid for a third straight Australian Open title with an easy victory over Sloane Stephens on Sunday.
Madison Keys, 29, is the fourth-oldest first-time Grand Slam champion in the professional era.
Aryna Sabalenka's return to top spot in the WTA rankings after leapfrogging Iga Swiatek has set up a thrilling end to the season, with next month's WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia likely to prove decisive in the race to end the year as world number one.
Images from Day 8 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
How will Russian athletes be cleared to compete at Paris 2024?
World number one Iga Swiatek edged Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 4-6 7,-6(7) in a gripping and gruelling Madrid Open final to win the title for the first time on Saturday in what was a repeat of last year's summit clash at the WTA 1000 claycourt tournament.
Aryna Sabalenka is the red-hot favourite at Melbourne Park, where another victory would give her a fourth major title and widen the gap in the rankings to Poland's Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff of the United States.
A ruthless Iga Swiatek slammed the door shut on German lucky loser Eva Lys with a 6-0 6-1 win on Monday to breeze into the quarter-finals of the year's opening Grand Slam for the second time.
All the action from Day 4 at the Australian Open on Wednesday
Images from the US Open women's singles quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Tuesday.
Karolina Muchova snapped U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka's 15-match win streak to shock her 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 in the China Open quarter-finals on Friday, while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen beat Mirra Andreeva 5-7 6-0 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka shook off a second-set blip to win three back-to-back Wuhan Open titles after beating Chinese fifth seed and home favourite Zheng Qinwen
Those deep runs have left her better equipped to handle the pressure at the business-end of the majors.
Contenders lurk around every corner in New York, as a gruelling year has left the title vulnerable for those hoping to capture a maiden major title.
Olympic gold medallist Zheng, making her WTA Finals debut, got off to a great start against the Czech eight seed, with an early break of serve to take a 3-0 lead.
The girl, wearing a matching fuchsia Nike kit and sporting a temporary tiger tattoo on her left forearm, emphatically cheered Aryna Sabalenka on
Russia says IOC decision to ban Russian athletes from Olympic parade unjust
The celebrities who graced the men's and women's singles finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the weekend.
Jannik Sinner secured the year-end world number one ranking by beating Czech 30th seed Tomas Machac in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals.
Here is what you need to know about the prize pot on offer at the 2024 US
Carlos Alcaraz secured his passage into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 victory over Nuno Borges.
Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances