MELBOURNE : Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev to lift his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last year, while Ash Barty won the women’s singles final to end Australia’s 44-year wait for a home singles winner at the tournament.
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won their fourth women’s doubles crown and the Australian pairing of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis became the first wildcard team to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title in the professional era.
Here is what you need to know about the finals of the year’s first Grand Slam:
WHEN IS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN HAPPENING?
* The 2023 Australian Open runs from Jan. 16-29.
WHERE IS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN TAKING PLACE?
* The Australian Open is held in Melbourne every year.
* The three main showcourts at Melbourne Park are Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.
WHEN IS THE WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL?
* The women’s singles final will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Rod Laver Arena. The finalists will be on court shortly after 0830 GMT (7:30 p.m. local time).
* Barty beat American Danielle Collins 6-3 7-6(2) in the final of the 2022 edition.
* Barty, a three-time Grand Slam winner, will not defend her title in Melbourne after announcing her retirement from tennis last year at age 25.
WHEN IS THE MEN’S SINGLES FINAL?
* The men’s singles final will be held on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Rod Laver Arena. The finalists will be on the court shortly after 0830 GMT (7:30 p.m. local time).
* Spaniard Nadal fought back from two sets down to beat Russian Medvedev 2-6 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in last year’s final.
* Nadal will kick off his Australian Open title defence with a first round test against rising Briton Jack Draper.
WHEN IS THE WOMEN’S DOUBLES FINAL?
* The women’s doubles final will be held on Sunday, Jan. 29.
* Krejcikova and Siniakova added the Australian Open’s women’s doubles title to their resume last year with a 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4 win over Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
* The Czech duo also won the U.S. Open and Wimbledon women’s doubles titles last year to complete a career ‘Golden Slam’. They have won six women’s doubles Grand Slam titles as a pair, as well as a gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
* They will begin their title defence against American Catherine Harrison and Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri.
WHEN IS THE MEN’S DOUBLES FINAL?
* The men’s doubles final will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28.
* Kyrgios and Kokkinakis defeated compatriots Max Purcell and Matt Ebden in the men’s doubles final last year.
* The duo, nicknamed the “Special Ks” as juniors, were set to defend their title at this year’s tournament, but Kyrgios was forced to pull out of the tournament with a knee injury.
WHEN IS THE MIXED DOUBLES FINAL?
* The mixed doubles final will be held on Friday, Jan. 27.
* France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Croatian Ivan Dodig swept to a 6-3 6-4 victory against local duo Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler to claim the Australian Open mixed doubles crown last year.
(Compiled by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)
