Zhang Shuai battles a strong Japanese-Russian duo for a spot in the final, Pegula fears jinx, Djokovic and Zverev face serious doubts

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Thursday, January 29, 2026. Welcome to the news midday report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

This morning Beijing time, the twelfth day of the 2026 Australian Open matches commenced. Regarding Chinese players: veteran Zhang Shuai and Belgian Mertens will take the court around 2 PM Beijing time to face the strong Japanese-Russian pair Chihara Ena and Zvonareva in the semifinals. Last night, Chihara and Zvonareva narrowly defeated the local wildcard duo Burel and Gibson 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-5 to secure the final semifinal spot. Best of luck to Zhang Shuai!

At 4:30 PM Beijing time this afternoon, the Australian Open women's singles semifinals will kick off. The first match features top seed and world No.1 Sabalenka against 12th seed, Ukrainian rising star Svitolina. Their head-to-head stands at 5-1 in favor of Sabalenka. However, Svitolina has been in outstanding form this season, matching Sabalenka’s 10-match winning streak, making the outcome unpredictable.

The second semifinal will follow, with Kazakhstan’s star Rybakina facing American Pegula. They have met six times before, tied at 3-3, with the latest encounter at last year’s year-end finals where Rybakina staged a three-set comeback victory.

After Pegula’s 6-2, 7-6(1) win over Anisimova in yesterday’s derby, she was initially pleased but got startled during the post-match press conference. A reporter asked, “Last year around this time, you all said on podcasts that Kecmanovic would definitely win (he ended up champion). What’s the situation now?” Pegula nervously replied, “Did you see Jenny (Brady) saying I could win Wimbledon, and then I lost in the first round? So honestly, I just want to avoid hearing that kind of talk. After Brady messaged me, I got knocked out early—I told her not to say things like that again!” Fans joked, “Pegula is scared of getting jinxed to death!”

On the men’s side, there are two doubles semifinals today, while the singles semifinals will take place tomorrow Beijing time. In the previous day’s matches, two-time defending champion Sinner defeated American Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, extending his winning streak to nine matches and reaching the Australian Open semifinals for the third consecutive year.

Sinner’s semifinal opponent is already known: Djokovic advanced to the last four thanks to Musetti’s retirement after losing the first two sets. In their head-to-head record, Sinner leads Djokovic slightly 6-4.

The other semifinal will be contested between world No.1 Alcaraz and world No.3 Zverev. Their previous 12 meetings are evenly split at 6-6, making this a very balanced rivalry.

However, European BC company does not favor Djokovic or Zverev. In the latest championship odds, Djokovic ranks third at 1:15, while Zverev’s odds are 1:23. Both are significantly less favored compared to Sinner at 1:1.9 and Alcaraz at 1:2.1, indicating they are seriously underrated. What is your take on these odds?

Let’s turn to the Davis Cup. Last night Beijing time, the 2026 Davis Cup World Group playoff match between China and Portugal was announced with confirmed lineups. China’s team includes Bu Yunchao Kete, Wu Yibing, Zhou Yi, Shang Juncheng, and Zhang Zhizhen, with Wu Di as captain. Portugal’s lineup features Borges, Faria, Rosa, Pereira, and Cabral, led by captain Machado. The match will be held on February 6 and 7 in Nansha.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The image below shows a player serving during a match. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was answered correctly by fans. Yes, the person in the picture is the former leading Chinese female tennis player Li Na.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lone Maverick)