Zhang Zhizhen staged a three-set comeback to keep hopes alive, Osaka suffered a heavy defeat losing points, and Medvedev met Kyrgios in Brisbane.

Three minutes daily to stay updated on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Saturday, January 3, 2026. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

At 7:30 AM Beijing time, the United Cup mixed team tennis tournament progressed with group stage battles. In Sydney, China faced Belgium. After Zhu Lin was swept 6-2, 6-2 by Mertens in the women's singles, Zhang Zhizhen resisted pressure in the men's singles to overturn Berghes in three tough sets 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, leveling the overall score at 1-1 and keeping China's chances alive.

The following mixed doubles match features Zhu Lin/Zhang Zhizhen versus Mertens/Berghes. At the time of this report, this decisive contest between the two teams has not yet started. Best of luck to the Chinese team!

In Perth, the France vs Switzerland match began at 10 AM Beijing time. The matchups were: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Belinda Bencic, Lindgren vs Stan Wawrinka, and Rajona/Roger-Vasselin vs Bencic/Wawrinka. As of this report, Switzerland leads 1-0 thanks to Bencic’s straight-set victories. Later today at 2:30 PM and 5 PM Beijing time, Australia vs Norway and USA vs Argentina matches will take place, featuring notable clashes like Onodera vs Ruud, Fritz vs Baez, and Gauff vs Sorribes.

On the first day of competition, Argentina defeated Spain 3-0 convincingly, while Greece swept Japan 3-0. Naomi Osaka struggled in her season opener, losing 4-6, 2-6 to Greece’s top player Sakkari, failing to secure a point for her team.

Let’s turn to the tournament draws. Last night Beijing time, main draws for three upcoming events were revealed. The ATP250 Brisbane event is led by Russian star Medvedev, with Spain’s Fucsovics, Czech’s Lehecka, and American Paul seeded 2nd to 4th. Shapovalov, Fonseca, and others will also compete. Australian wild card Kyrgios returns here, facing American Kovacevic in round one. Medvedev and Kyrgios are placed in opposite halves, so they can only meet in the final.

The WTA500 Brisbane tournament boasts a star-studded field with multiple top 10 players. The top eight seeds are: upper half — Sabalenka vs Keys, Rybakina vs Alexandrova; lower half — Tauson vs Pegula, Mirra Andreeva vs Anisimova. In doubles, four Chinese pairs participate: Zhang Shuai/Samsonova face Badosa/Sabalenka in round one; Jiang Xinyu/Zhan Haoqing vs Alexandrova/Mirra Andreeva; Hsieh Su-wei/Ostapenko take on Gadecki/Mihalikova.

At the WTA250 Auckland event, Ukraine’s young star Svitolina and American Navarro lead the field. China’s second-ranked Wang Xinyu is placed in the lower half, facing American McNally in the first round. Serena Williams is also confirmed to play, debuting against Poland’s Linette. Additionally, in the Auckland qualifying first round, Chinese youngster Guo Hanyu lost 4-6, 0-6 to Hrwarlinska, missing the chance to advance.

Finally, a guessing game: the picture below shows a player riding a jet ski. Without hints, can you identify who she is?

No one guessed correctly in the last round. Actually, the person in the photo is Belgian star Mertens.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Spirit)