Tennis: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Veteran Stan Wawrinka Leads Final Australian Open Wild Cards

Former champion Stan Wawrinka, along with Australians Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell, have secured their spot in the main draw for men’s singles at the 2026 Australian Open after being granted wild cards.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Alex Eala progresses to ASB Classic semifinals

Philippines tennis star Alex Eala defeated Magda Linette 6-3, 6-2 in the WTA Tour ASB Classic quarterfinals in Auckland, New Zealand on Friday.

Nick Kyrgios News / ESPN / January 8

Five sets a 'different beast': Kyrgios makes AO call

Nick Kyrgios has conceded he's not up to playing singles at the Australian Open, ruling himself out of a likely wildcard.

Elena Rybakina News / HITC / January 8

Elena Rybakina notes her favourite thing about being a tennis player

Elena Rybakina is in red-hot form. The Kazakhstani star has won 13 consecutive matches on the WTA Tour dating back to October 2025. Most recently, the 26-year-old defeated former world number two Paula Badosa in the Brisbane International round of 16.

Tennis News / Last Word On Sports / January 8

ATP Hong Kong Best Bets Including Rublev vs Borges

Rublev – Borges: 09.01.2026 08:00 CEST H2H: 2-0 Andrey Rublev has won four of his last five matches. This week in Hong Kong, Rublev won the opening match against Wu in three sets, after losing the opening set 3-6.

Jannik Sinner News / HITC / January 8

Jannik Sinner’s coach loses long-running role at the Australian Open

Darren Cahill’s legendary coaching career has peaked with Jannik Sinner, where he has overseen four Grand Slam victories. The iconic Australian coach, who has also worked with Simona Halep and Amanda Anisimova, has worked with Sinner since 2022.

Tennis News / HITC / January 8

Top 20 ATP player parts ways with coach as he replaces him with former Grand Slam finalist

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has made a big coaching change at the start of the 2026 season. Davidovich Fokina hired former top 10 player Felix Mantilla to his team at the end of the 2024 season, after he had parted ways with Fernando Verdasco.

Serena Williams News / HITC / January 8

Serena Williams’ former coach shares three tips to improve with net volleys

Various players have thrived in various areas of tennis throughout the years, but only a handful really impressed at the net. The likes of John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg arguably stand out more than most, with Pete Sampras and Roger Federer also on the exclusive list.

Coco Gauff News / Tennis on ClutchPoints / January 8

Coco Gauff leads US team to United Cup semifinals

Coco Gauff is gearing up for the Australian Open by leading the defending champion United States team past the United Cup quarterfinals in Perth, Australia.

Tennis News / Field Level Media / January 8

WTA roundup: Madison Keys wins Brisbane triple tiebreak

No. 5 seed Madison Keys won the first triple-tiebreak match of her career Thursday, outlasting No. 12 Diana Shnaider of Russia 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) in the third round of the Brisbane International in Australia.

Venus Williams News / HITC / January 8

Venus Williams speaks out after early ASB Classic blow against Magda Linette

Venus Williams crashed out of the ASB Classic in the opening round, losing to Magda Linette in three sets. Linette won the round of 32 encounter with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The '2025 leading receiver by team' quiz

The 'NFL passing TD leaders by year' quiz

The 'Most sacks in an NFL season' quiz

The 'Last 4K-yard passer by NFL team' quiz

Qinwen Zheng News / Field Level Media / January 8

No. 24 Qinwen Zheng WDs from Australian Open

World No. 24 Qinwen Zheng withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open on Thursday as she works her way back following right elbow surgery. "After careful evaluation by my team and following medical advice, unfortunately I will be withdrawing from the 2026 Australian Open," Zheng wrote on Instagram.

Aryna Sabalenka News / Field Level Media / January 8

Aryna Sabalenka to skip events due to 'insane' WTA schedule

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she will risk fines and losing ranking points by skipping some tournaments this year to protect her body, calling the

Tennis News / Field Level Media / January 8

ATP roundup: Belgium wins, to face Switzerland in United Cup semis

Belgium reached its first United Cup semifinal round with a victory over the Czech Republic on Thursday in Sydney. Team Belgium reached the next round following singles wins by Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens.

Tennis News / HITC / January 8

Brad Gilbert warns Victoria Mboko of Gauff-style weakness

Victoria Mboko is showing signs of an issue that may stop her from fully reaching her potential. Mboko had a breakout year in 2025, jumping from outside the top 300 to inside the WTA top 20.

Tennis News / Last Word On Sports / January 8

WTA Brisbane Quarterfinal Predictions Including Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys

The WTA Brisbane International has thrown up four exciting quarterfinal matches, headlined by two of the top three seeds. Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys will face off in an Australian Open final rematch.

Tennis News / Last Word On Sports / January 8

WTA Auckland Quarterfinal Predictions Including Elina Svitolina vs Sonay Kartal

Auckland is typically one of the highest level pre-Australian Open events on the WTA side, and while this year’s draw doesn’t really feature any of the

Qinwen Zheng News / Last Word On Sports / January 8

Olympic Champion Qinwen Zheng Withdraws From 2026 Australian Open

In a disappointing turn of events for tennis fans worldwide, Chinese star Qinwen Zheng has announced her withdrawal from the 2026 Australian Open. The 23-year-old Olympic Gold Medalist, who is also a former Australian Open finalist, cited ongoing recovery from elbow surgery as the primary reason for her decision.