WTA First-Ranked Warms Up for Exhibition Season in Atlanta
With the official tennis season for 2025 over for both the ATP and WTA, December ushers in many exhibition tennis events for the players who aren’t content to simply rest until Spring comes about. Women’s first-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Ben Shelton, and on-again, off-again wild child Nick Kyrgios of Australia have decided to do just that, coming together to play in the one-day Atlanta Cup for its first year. The format is simple enough; two women, both multi-Grand Slam champions, face each other while the towering men, one a past up-and-coming promise of his time, while the other, Atlanta-born and currently the young American hope, do the same. If time permits, mixed doubles with all four will also play.
For a well-known playful spirit like Kyrgios, this sort of thing calls to him perfectly; lax rules, the crowd chanting through points, and being able to do all the underhanded serves his heart's desire. For the other three dedicated professional players, the same cannot be said. This event served as a wonderful warm-up for Sabalenka, who will play him in a little over three weeks in another exhibition match; the Battle of the Sexes, a callback to the famous and trailblazing event by Billie Jean King years ago. Sabalenka and Osaka were facing each other today, and it was hard to see this as an exhibition match at first, and not as two historic champions. It became very apparent, though, when in that very first game alone, both athletes hit more drop shots and slices than either would ever dare to do in an entire match.
The US Open champion has had a successful season, so I can see why it might be easier for her to let loose and play in a fun way, and still keep pressure. Though she was all smiles and laughs with the crowd, truly embracing the exhibition mood, her eyes remained on the prize of keeping pressure on Osaka, who I didn’t think handled herself quite as well in the match overall, both for mood and play. Osaka’s backhand was painfully unreliable- too many times, Sabalenka approached the net, unbalanced and very passable, the number one Japanese player fumbled what should have been the passing shot in the same manner repeatedly, without generating power on her racquet.
Truly, I think it stemmed from her being such an emotional player, or rather, her history of being such an emotionally guarded player. It almost seemed at times like the Japanese champ had to shift her concentration from being playful to fighting and strategizing through points. Sabalenka was quite free and losing points, and even the second set didn’t faze or upset her. For Osaka, even while serving incredibly, fighting through lengthy points, or forcing errors, didn’t play up to the crowd or pump herself up like her opponent. Losing points visibly upset her, more than one would have thought of seeing for an exhibition.
Still, there were fun moments Osaka found within herself. She brought out recently retired Chris Eubanks to play a point on her behalf. At match point, during the ten-point decider, while down 3-9, she even took a lofty risk at match point, suddenly disappearing from the court while waiting to receive, and gave a nervous ball girl her racquet. The risk paid off, and the point was one on her behalf. Sabalenka took inspiration from that and paid her opponent back in the same way, only her representative was very ready to win against a multiple Grand Slam Champion. The Belarusian reigned victorious 6-4, 4-6, 10-4.
