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World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a right leg injury.

The 19-year-old Spaniard, who last year became the youngest player to finish year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, would have held the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.

Alcaraz tweeted: When I was at my best in preseason, I picked up an injury through a chance, unnatural movement in training. This time it's the semimembranosus muscle in my right leg.

I'd worked so hard to get to my best level for Australia but unfortunately I won't be able to play the Care A2+ Kooyong or the Australian Open. It's tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward. See you in 2024 @AustralianOpen.

The withdrawal imperils Alcaraz's hold on World No. 1, with Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic all having an opportunity to rise to top spot the Monday after the Australian Open.

Last year, Jessica Pegula lost all of her four matches against Iga Swiatek. But the new year has brought with it a burgeoning confidence for the American. In 2023, Pegula’s now 1-0 against the World No. 1.

Pegula scored a decisive 6-2, 6-2 victory over Swiatek on Friday at the United Cup semi-finals in Sydney. When Frances Tiafoe followed that up with similarly definitive 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Kacper Zuk, Poland found itself in the precarious predicament of needing to win all three matches Saturday against the United States to advance to the final.

[ATP APP]

It’s the same for top-seeded Greece, surprisingly down 2-0 to Italy after Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti won their singles matches. Trevisan was a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 winner over World No. 6 Maria Sakkari in a contest that ran three hours, 15 minutes. Musetti scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Stefanos Sakellaridis.

Here’s how Saturday’s matches — two singles contests and a potential mixed doubles decider in each tie — shape up:

Tallon Griekspoor kept his cool in his maiden ATP Tour semi-final Friday at the Tata Open Maharashtra, where the Dutchman completed a 7-6(4), 6-1 victory against eighth seed Aslan Karatsev.

Griekspoor won a single-season record of eight ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2021, but the 26-year-old had not been past the quarter-finals of a tour-level event prior to this week in India. The Dutchman will take on another first-time finalist, Benjamin Bonzi, in Saturday’s championship match.

“It’s great. It’s something you work for, something you dream of,” said Griekspoor of reaching his first ATP Tour final. “That was a goal coming into this year. To do it in the first week of the year is great, but the tournament is not over, there is one more match left. So [I will] try to keep focusing on that one.”

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED ✅@Griekii is through to a 1st ever @atptour final after a dominant 7-6 6-1 win ?#TataOpenMaharashtra pic.twitter.com/5nwrq2pB7M

The World No. 95 produced a high-class serving performance to down the three-time tour-level titlist Karatsev. Griekspoor did not face a break point, sent down 11 aces and won 89 per cent (32/36) of points behind his first delivery.

After Martina Trevisan won an epic against Maria Sakkari on Friday, Lorenzo Musetti extended Team Italy's lead over Team Greece to 2-0 in the United Cup Final Four.

Musetti maintained his perfect record at the mixed-teams event (4-0) when he defeated Stefanos Sakellaridis 6-1, 6-1 in just 62 minutes. The No. 23 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings won 53 per cent of his return points to give his country a commading lead.

World No. 803 Sakellaridis earned one of the most memorable victories of the group stages when he upset Belgium's Zizou Bergs. The 18-year-old appeared primed to make another splash, this time in Sydney, when he earned a break point in the opening game of the match. But Musetti hit a timely drop shot and finished off the point with a forehand volley. From there, the 20-year-old never looked back.

Musetti's strokes were heavier than his opponent's, and he showed far more consistency. That proved a winning formula for the Italian, who gave Matteo Berrettini a chance to close out the tie on Saturday evening against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Lucia Bronzetti is scheduled to face Despina Papamichail in the No. 2 women's singles match.

Italy lost its City Final in Brisbane against Poland. But after earning a place in the Final Four as the best-positioned runner-up, the country has taken full advantage. The winner of the tie will face Team United States or Team Poland (Team United States leads 2-0).

Novak Djokovic came through some staunch resistance from Denis Shapovalov on Friday at the Adelaide International 1, where the top-seeded Serbian pulled away to a 6-3, 6-4 quarter-final victory at the ATP 250 event.

An entertaining one-hour, 55-minute matchup provided rich entertainment for a vocal Adelaide crowd, which was treated to some ferocious baseline exchanges as Shapovalov went toe-to-toe with the 91-time tour-level titlist Djokovic. The Serbian was more clinical at key moments, however, and three breaks of serve across the two sets were enough for him to complete his 21st victory in his past 22 tour-level matches.

Djokovic’s win sets a blockbuster semi-final clash with third seed Daniil Medvedev in South Australia. The Serbian leads 8-4 lead in his ATP Head2Head series with the World No. 7, with his tally including victory in a marathon three-set battle at November’s Nitto ATP Finals.

He's the master of turning defence to offence ?@DjokerNole flips the script on Shapovalov at #AdelaideTennis. pic.twitter.com/ZNU62d9V7F

Djokovic entered the quarter-final clash with a 7-0 ATP Head2Head record against the 23-year-old Shapovalov, but the Serbian faced three break points in an intriguing first set during which the Canadian’s big groundstrokes kept him under pressure. Shapovalov was left to rue not converting those chances, however, as the top-seeded Serbian made no mistake with a break point of his own to move 5-3 ahead before serving out for the set.

All was well for Team United States on Friday in Sydney, where the Americans cruised to a 2-0 lead in the United Cup Final Four against Team Poland. It was impossible to tell that there was a controversy of sorts within the group on Thursday.

“We did another escape room. We did boys versus girls and girls won, so go girls,” Jessica Pegula said after her upset of Iga Swiatek. “But it was really fun. We’ve done a couple of them and I’m not sure, it was kind of like an anti-team building experience because we kind of all wanted to kill each other at the end, but hopefully it brings us together today.”

“[The] guys are so salty they lost. It's like, It's real,” Pegula said.

“Fritz is still pissed. I hope he loosens up for tomorrow,” Tiafoe responded, cracking a laugh. “It's just been great team energy. Jess hurt our team-building yesterday after that. Both the guys and girls getting pretty heated there at the end. No, I mean, it was great to do stuff like that, and obviously Jess is our captain, making us do team outings like that.”

“I didn't make anyone do anything. I just throw out feelers and see what everyone is feeling,” Pegula said.

Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Alex Zverev, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex de Minaur will feature in the Tennis Plays for Peace charity spectacular at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday 11 January. With events still taking place in Adelaide and Hobart, further player participation will be announced closer to the event.

All funds raised from the star-studded night of tennis and entertainment will support the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine by UNICEF Australia and Global Giving, which are providing help on the ground.

“Tennis is a truly global sport with an international playing community that has a history of stepping up and helping out. Through Tennis Plays for Peace the tennis community can offer practical assistance through fundraising, as well as show our heartfelt support for the victims of the war,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley explained.

[ATP APP]

“We look forward to a spectacular night of tennis and entertainment and a wonderful opportunity to come together and raise much-needed funds.”

Daniil Medvedev’s impressive start to the 2023 season continued on Friday at the Adelaide International 1, where the World No. 7 downed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the hard-court ATP 250 event.

After fending off two break points from 15/40 to hold in his opening service game, the third-seeded Medvedev delivered a commanding quarter-final performance in his first tour-level meeting with Khachanov since 2019. He reeled off four games in a row from 2-3 to claim the first set and did not panic when broken early in the second, winning five straight games from 1-3 to clinch a comfortable 78-minute victory.

“It’s been a long time,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “We didn’t play since 2019, that’s pretty long. Hopefully we can play more matches at later stages of tournaments. It’s never easy, I’m happy that I managed to really raise my level, especially at the end of both sets, and I’m really happy to be through to the semis.”

Medvedev is yet to drop a set this week in Adelaide, where he moved past Lorenzo Sonego and Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening two rounds. Fourteen of his 15 tour-level titles have come on hard courts, and he will hope to move one step closer to lifting another trophy on the surface when he takes on top seed Novak Djokovic or seventh seed Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

“I think one of them has a lot of titles and quite likes to play in Australia!” said Medvedev of Djokovic when asked about his potential semi-final opponents. “I think he didn’t lose for a long time here, but I’m going to watch their match.

Jessica Pegula produced a flawless performance on Friday in Sydney, where she upset World No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-2 to give Team United States a 1-0 lead over Team Poland in the United Cup Final Four.

More to come...

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“I need this confidence,” Martina Trevisan said with a big smile after Matteo Berrettini praised her backhand when the Italians revealed which part of each other’s game they would like to have.

While Trevisan said she would opt for Berrettini’s heavy serve or how he stands tall at 6'5", the duo then cracked a laugh as they joked who owns the better backhand.

“She asked me if I’m sure [I want her backhand],” Berrettini said while holding up his answer on the whiteboard.

It was a straight-forward response for both players when they were asked about their partner’s biggest weapon: Berrettini’s serve and Trevisan’s forehand. However, it wasn’t such an easy answer when they were quizzed on when they first saw each other play in person.

Want to know what else the Italian stars spoke about? Watch the full United Cup Partnership feature.

The novelty of the rare mixed doubles combinations in the United Cup is what makes them so compelling. The banter and the byplay between the ATP and WTA players has been refreshing to watch and hear.

Turns out the matches mean something, too.

Look no further than Wednesday's crucial City Finals in Brisbane and Perth, where Poland and Greece needed their mixed doubles teams to break 2-2 ties and help them advance into the United Cup semi-finals. 

[ATP APP]

Of the 18 mixed doubles confrontations in the United Cup’s group play, only one decided the match — when Alexandar Lazarov and Isabella Shinikova upset David Goffin and Elise Mertens to forge a 3-2 victory for Bulgaria over Belgium. But with the elite teams advancing to the City Finals, semi-finals and, ultimately, the Sunday final, it was increasingly possible that a meaningful match would hinge on a mixed doubles result.

Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor made Dutch tennis history on Thursday at the Tata Open Maharashtra as both men progressed to the semi-finals in Pune. They became the first Dutch duo to reach the semi-finals of the same ATP Tour event since Dennis Van Scheppingen and Martin Verkerk at Amersfoort in 2004.

"It's been a long time," van de Zandschulp said of the achievement. "I cannot remember how long it's been, but it's pretty nice for the country."

[ATP APP]

Van de Zandschulp has yet to drop a set in his Pune debut, having beaten Flavio Cobolli 7-5, 6-4 in his first match. After facing six break points in that contest, the World No. 35 did not face any against Marterer as he won 85 per cent of his first-serve points.

"I served well. It's always helping when you serve well and you get a lot of free points," he assessed, later adding that he enjoyed the slower, flatter evening conditions compared to his daytime Wednesday match. "[I was] really consistent, more consistent that the last match, so I'm happy with that."

Game. Set. Match.

Meet the next generation of tennis giants in Netflix’s new tennis series, Break Point, which documents a game-changing year in the sport with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to a select group of the world’s best players.

Netflix on Thursday released a trailer of the show, featuring some of the players as well as legends Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova, who provide insight. The series will premiere on 13 January.

“The hardest thing in sports is expectation,” Roddick said.

The trailer takes viewers through the pressure facing the world’s brightest young talents and the indescribable intensity of competing at the highest levels in tennis.

Jannik Sinner has not dropped a set this week en route to the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International 1. But Kyle Edmund and Thanasi Kokkinakis have not been his only opponents.

The Italian on Wednesday enjoyed a battle of Now Gen against Past Gen at the ATP 250 event, where he hit with 99-year-old Henry Young, who on 11 January will compete in Melbourne against 98-year-old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi in the Battle of the Centurions, part of the Tennis Plays For Peace charity event.

“It’s obviously my pleasure. Seeing a man 99 years old playing incredible tennis, having such strength and willpower to stay on the court — yesterday was also hot — for me was a real pleasure,” Sinner told ATPTour.com. “I know he’s [playing] a very important match raising money in Melbourne, so it’s my pleasure obviously to play with him.

“I wish him all the best not only in the tennis court, but off court, which is most important. It was a lot of fun.”

Special moment to hit with Henry today, 99 years old and #1 in the world! Henry is playing against 98 year old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi on Rod Laver Arena next week to raise money for people in Ukraine. Both are an inspiration to us all! Good luck ??#ClashOfTheCenturions pic.twitter.com/91FUz1JX80

By winning the City Final on Wednesday night in Sydney with a tidy 4-1 score over Great Britain, the Americans soon made the short commute back to their hotels, looking forward to an off day. Meanwhile, in Brisbane and Perth, four nations battled to join them in Friday’s United Cup semi-finals in Sydney.

In the end, Poland defeated Italy and Greece upended Croatia — with both ties decided by mixed doubles featuring four of the world’s best singles players. Italy advanced courtesy of the country’s superior percentage of sets won over Croatia, and will join them. Poland and Italy made their way 500-plus miles down the east coast of Australia from Brisbane, while Greece had to navigate more than 2,000 miles from Perth, situated on the west coast.

The matchups and overall record after three ties: U.S. (13-2) vs. Poland (10-5) and Greece (11-4) vs. Italy (10-5).

Here’s a closer look at the two semi-finals:

United States vs. Poland

New season, same script for Novak Djokovic.

Trailing World No. 64 Quentin Halys 2-5 after a competitive first set at the Adelaide International 1 Thursday, did anyone really doubt that the Serbian would come back? With the Frenchman serving for the set at 5-3, Djokovic went into lockdown mode, breaking to love after teasing four consecutive unforced errors from the 26-year-old's racquet.

From there it was a business-like performance from the man who spent a record 373 weeks atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as he closed out a 7-6(3) 7-6(5) win to set a quarter-final clash with explosive Canadian shotmaker Denis Shapovalov. To his credit, Halys remained competitive throughout, but ultimately slipped to 0-12 in career meetings against Top 30 opponents.

"It was a great performance from my opponent today and I want to congratulate him for a great fight. He played like a Top 10 opponent," Djokovic said. "He was serving big, hitting his spots and on a fast court like this it's tough to break, so two tie-breaks is a realistic score in today's match. I'm glad to overcome the challenge."

Djokovic, who has won 20 of his past 21 matches, claimed the third title of his career in Adelaide in 2007. This week he seeks career title No. 92. He next faces Shapovalov Friday with a potential blockbuster semi-final with Daniil Medvedev on Saturday.

Wednesday ended in celebration for Team Italy despite a narrow defeat to Poland in the United Cup's Brisbane City Final. Falling 3-2 in a tie decided by the mixed doubles finale, the Italians earned a place in the semi-finals with the best overall record among the day's three losing teams — beating out Croatia and Great Britain to join winners Poland, the United States and Greece in Sydney for the Final Four that begins Friday.

A 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win for Matteo Berrettini against Hubert Hurkacz put the Italians ahead early in the tie before Lorenzo Musetti powered past Daniel Michalski 6-1, 6-1. Musetti teamed with Camilla Rosatello for the mixed doubles decider, but the pair was turned back 6-1, 6-2 by the star Polish team of Hurkacz and WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

The loss finalised Italy's record at 10-5 across three ties in Brisbane — matching that of Team Croatia, which fell 3-2 against Greece in the Perth City Final. Great Britain finished at 8-7 after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the United States.

With Italy and Croatia level on match records, the Italians advanced courtesy of their superior percentage of sets won. They will now travel to Sydney to take on Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari and Team Greece in the semis. The full semi-final schedule is below.

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, JANUARY 06, 2023
KEN ROSEWALL ARENA start 1:00 pm
[2] I. Swiatek (POL) vs [3] J. Pegula (USA) 
[2] D. Michalski (POL) vs [3] F. Tiafoe (USA) 

Aslan Karatsev has yet to drop a set in the 2023 ATP Tour season, but he had to save three set points on Wednesday at the Tata Open Maharashtra to maintain that perfect record. After erasing one in the opening set of a 7-6(7), 7-6(8) victory against Tim van Rijthoven, the eighth seed fought off two more in set two to advance to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250.

Karatsev broke serve for the first time on his sixth break point of the match midway through set two, but then dropped serve from 40/0 as van Rijthoven created his first chances on return. After Karatsev failed to convert two match points on return at 5-4 — his seventh and eighth break points of the contest — he closed out the match in an extended tie-break on his fourth opportunity. 

[ATP APP]

Next up for the 29-year-old is Spain's Pedro Martinez, who came from behind to upset fourth seed Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. France's Benjamin Bonzi also scored an upset on Wednesday, knocking off third seed and returning finalist Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 7-6(4).

Top seed Marin Cilic made a winning start to the new season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win against Roberto Carballes Baena. The Croatian, seeking his third Pune title after back-to-back triumphs in 2009-10, fired 16 aces and won more than 80 per cent of points on first serve. He will next face Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the semi-finals.