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But here comes the segue! Luton and Watford were poor relations from whom no one expected anything, while Forest and Liverpool were fantastic sides, two of the best three in the country at the time; their match was widely touted as the final before the final, with good reason.
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Except it was Wimbledon who won the Cup, teaching us, once again, that life, and sport in particular, don’t do what we expect them to. So we shouldn’t simply expect that whichever of Aryna Sbalenka and Coco Gauff wins this morning will simply stroll to the title. and if retro football isn’t your thing, just ask poor Ons Jabeur, who beat Sabalenka in the Wimbldeon semis, only to lose her long-awaited coronation of a final to the unseeded Markéta Vondrousová – who’d beaten the unseeded Elina Svitolina to get there.
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Coco Gauff v Aryna Sabalenka, though, what a match! Gauff has improved massively over the last year, far better at hiding her forehand than before, but perhaps the biggest change has been a mental one. She now contests these matches expecting to prevail, having come from behind to beat Sabalenka in the US Open final.
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Sabalenka, though, is the defending champion, her terrifying power and developing hands a brutal night for anyone. Her cruelty in dismantling Barbora Krejcikova was almost hard to watch but was, of course, fantastic to watch, and she could scarcely arrive at this match in better form.
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However there’s always a however so, however: Sabalenka is brilliant at demolishing the lesser lights to reach the last four of Slams – eight in a row now – but has only one final to show for that. It’s not so easy to bully the bigger girls and it won’t be so easy for her to bully Gauff – though we can be certain she’ll try.
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Our second match, as the late John Motson once said, appears “to be between the also-rans.” Dayana Yastremska is a qualifier who, in 2021, failed a drug test before later being cleared. It’s impossible to imagine the pain and frustration that must’ve entailed – in 2021, then a promising youngster, she travelled to Melbourne and quarantined for two weeks in a hotel room before discovering her provisional ban would not be lifted. So for her, this is relief and redemption after a long struggle, meaning anyone who plays her is also playing that. She is not to be taken lightly, at all.
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And we can be certain Qinwen Zheng knows that. She stands at the edge of immortality, hoping to become the first Chinese to win a major since Li Na, who won Australia in 2014. But with great opportunity comes great pressure, and though she’s handled it well so far – it’s been clear for a couple of rounds that these are the moments of her life – whatever happens here, being her will never be the same again. This is going to be great!
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important events
It also:
Eurosport introduced a wonderful and heartwarming interview. Daria Kasatkina and her girlfriend, figure skater Natalia Zabiako. We have come a long way since the days of Martina, but considering that Kasatkina has not become the home of Russia since its appearance, we can be sure that there is still a long way to go.
Sabalenka has arrived in the locker room, how does he feel? Winning here last year must have been a huge relief, but she still has vulnerabilities – an inevitable one given how strong her striking is and her margin for error is so narrow. That might be the case. But Rybakina really should have beaten her in the finals last year. It's just that she's never brought her best gear to her biggest matches, and she would know it. The same goes for Gauff.
For the past few days, Yastremska used her platform to speak openly and movingly about what it means to be Ukrainian at this time. She's a very impressive young woman, but I don't think there's going to be much fuss about her tonight.
That's good and ultimately unexpected news. Kyrgios really enjoys commentary and it's his love for the game that shines through, so it makes perfect sense that he decided there was still work to be done.
Conditions may also affect the first match. If it's cloudy but not raining, the roof could open up and slow the conditions down, slowing Sabalenka down and making things difficult…or it could make it harder for Gauff to generate a reaction, which could make things difficult for her. This could mean that spare power becomes even more important.
It's a gray day in Melbourne, but it's also a day of color because it's Pride Day. What a great innovation!
preamble
In the 1988 FA Cup semi-final, Nottingham Forest were set to play Liverpool, while Luton Town faced Watford. At first glance, this has nothing to do with his 2024 Australian Open semifinals.
But here's the segue! Luton and Watford had a bad relationship and no one expected anything from them, but Forest and Liverpool were great teams, two of the top three teams in the country at the time. Their match was widely touted as the final before the final, and for good reason.
Apart from winning the Cup at Wimbledon, it once again taught us that life, especially sports, doesn't do what we expect. So whether Alina Svalenka or Coco Gauff wins this morning, don't simply expect them to move closer to the title. And if retro football isn't your thing, just ask poor Ons Jabbar, who beat Sabalenka in the Wimbledeon semi-finals. She had just lost to Marketa Vondrusova, who defeated unseeded Elina Svitolina in the much-anticipated final. she gets there.
Anyway, what a match Coco Gauff vs. Arina Sabalenka is! Gauff has improved a lot over the past year and is much better at hiding her forehand than she used to be, but perhaps the biggest change is mentally. She currently heads into these matches expecting a victory for her after coming from behind to defeat Sabalenka in the US Open final.
But Sabalenka is the defending champion, and her formidable power and developing hands will make for a brutal night for everyone. Her cruelty in dismembering Barbora Krejcikova was almost difficult to watch, but of course it was wonderful to watch. And it was almost impossible for her to go into this match in better shape.
But, but, that's always the case. Sabalenka is good at defeating lower-ranked players and has now reached the final four in eight consecutive tournaments, but he only has one final to show for it. It's not that easy to bully a big girl, and it's not easy for her to bully Gauff either, but we're sure she'll try.
As the late John Motson once said, our second game is like a 'match between the same contestants'. Dayana Yastremska is a qualified athlete, but she failed a drug test in 2021 that was later cleared. I can't imagine the pain and frustration that would entail. In 2021, the then-promising youngster traveled to Melbourne and quarantined in a hotel room for two weeks until it was determined her interim suspension would not be lifted. I mean, for her, this is her relief and salvation after her long struggle, and whoever plays her is going to play it. She should never disrespect her.
And we can be sure that Qin Wenzheng knows it. She is on the verge of immortality. She hopes to become the first Chinese to win a major since Li Na, who won in Australia in 2014. But with great opportunity comes great pressure. She had been coping well so far, it was obvious. She repeated several times that this was the moment of her life. No matter what happens here, she will never be the same again. This is going to be amazing!
