Greece vs. Japan: What to Watch
Naomi Osaka vs. Maria Sakkari
At the start of the decade, Osaka and Sakkari looked like the future of the WTA. Osaka won four majors and reached No. 1. Sakkari made it deep at several Slams and as high as No. 3. Now they’re veterans—Osaka is 28, Sakkari is 30—who can’t get off the comeback trail.
Osaka went much farther on that trail in 2025. She reached the US Open semifinals, finished 16th in the rankings, and started what appears to be a productive new partnership with Iga Swiatek’s old coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski. Osaka also started fast last January when she made the final in Auckland, and she has won the Australian Open twice. There’s no better time or place for her to take the next step up.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Shintaro Mochizuki
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Tsitsipas says of his season opener, which will take place in Greek-centric Perth. More important, Tsitsipas says he’s healthy again after a back injury cut his 2025 short.
Can the 27-year-old take some inspiration from Osaka? Like her, he has thrived Down Under in the past, having made the Australian Open final once, and the semis three other times. Like her, his game and confidence took an extended dip, and his ranking—now No. 36—isn’t what it used to be. And like her, it still feels too late to write him off. He’ll start the new season with his first match against Mochizuki, a 22-year-old who is too talented to be 99th in the world for much longer.
