Tick Tock Tennis Daily Intel - January 8, 2026
👑 Super Stacked Draw The quarterfinal field at the WTA 500 in Brisbane feels like a grand slam. Don't be surprised to see one of these names on the trophy in Melbourne.
🔥 Only Meddy was Ready? Meanwhile, the men's field in Brisbane has totally blown apart. Daniil Medvedev is the only seed to survive.
⚖️ A Little Top Heavy The bottom half of the draw is wide open in Hong Kong, with Lorenzo Sonego (5), Alexandre Muller (the defending champion), and Karen Khachanov (4) already out.
✅ On Track in Auckland Though #2 seed Emma Navarro got clipped in the opening round, all of the other top 5 seeds are still in the mix.
🎾 Brisbane International (WTA 500)
🔥 Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Muchova Muchova needed three sets to survive Ajla Tomljanovic (4-6, 6-1, 7-6). Rybakina rolled Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2 and is the favorite tonight.
🎯 Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys Sabalenka cruised past Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-3 while Keys struggled to survive Diana Shnaider. Though Aryna leads the head-to-head 4-1, Keys's win was a slam title.)
🚀 Mirra Andreeva vs Marta Kostyuk Andreeva (17yo) got forced to a deciding set in both of her matches this week. Kostyuk (22yo) surprised Amanda Anisimova easily in round 3.
👀 Liudmila Samsonova vs Jessica Pegula Samsonova has cruised through the draw so far, dispatching a wildcard and a qualifier. Pegula has needed 3-sets in both of her matches. Could be an upset brewing...
🎾 Brisbane International (ATP 250)
🌪️ Aleksandar Kovacevic vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Kovacevic has been rock-solid but faces a firepower test from the Frenchman's cannon of a serve. First meeting.
🔥 Daniil Medvedev vs Kamil Majchrzak Medvedev looks ominously sharp so far. Majchrzak saved multiple match points against Opelka in the last round. Head-to-head: Medvedev leads 1-0.
👀 Sebastian Korda vs Alex Michelsen All-American showdown. If Korda is healthy (an omnipresent question mark in his career) he'll be the favorite.
🚀 Raphael Collignon vs Brandon Nakashima I'll go ahead and say it; Collignon's getting to the top 30 this year. Nakashima been there recently. Who's time is it?
🎾 Hong Kong Tennis Open (ATP 250)
💎Lorenzo Musetti vs Coleman Wong The hometown hero vs the top seed. The crowd could be a big factor. But, can Wong give them something to go crazy about?
⚔️ Andrey Rublev vs Nuno Borges Rublev started to get chirpy at the end of his match with Wu Yibing. Can he keep it together through the steady assault from the recent top 30.
🤷 Juncheng Shang vs Alexander Bublik Shang's game is back on track after a 6-month injury hiatus last year. Bublik is chaos personified. Could go any possible direction.
👀 Marcos Giron vs Michael Mmoh I will not objectify tennis players. I will not objectify tennis players. I will not objectify tennis players. (Total toss-up and a must-watch baseline battle.)
🎾 ASB Classic (WTA 250)
🏆 Magda Linette vs Alexandra Eala Eala has quickly become a mini-phenomenon, bringing tons of new (and highly engaged!) Filipino fans to the game... and her matches. Linette will need all of her veteran experience to contain the surge.
🚀 Iva Jovic vs Sofia Costoulas Teen vs teen. Jovic, who won a WTA 500 title last year, will be heavily favored. But the Belgian is having a career-best run in Auckland.
👀 Xinyu Wang vs Francesca Jones Wang is the only seed on this side of the draw. Jones, the British player born with a rare genetic condition, lives to disprove doubters.
🎯 Elina Svitolina vs Sonay Kartal The top seed has looked pretty imperious so far. But, the tenacious Brit could give her a scare if Svitolina is even a little bit off her game.
🌪️ Canberra Carnage: The WTA 125 is down to just one seed in the semifinals. #3 Polina Kudermetova. And she's the favorite to take the title now.
🌪️ NextGen Revisited Two of the headliners from the recent ATP NextGen finals could clash for the trophy at the ATP Challenger in Canberra. Alexander Blockx and Rafael Jodar could meet for the title on Saturday.
Great tennis journalism is worth your time... and money! So, each week, I highlight a few writers, podcasts, vlogs, and articles you should seek out.
Owen Lewis has emerged as one of the best young American tennis journalists out there. His vivid, human-centered storytelling cuts through to the deeper dramas at play in tennis and sports in general.
His 33-chapter substack "book" on the Novak Djokovic-Rafal Nadal rivalry is a great place to start if you're new.
