Australian Open: Not so Sweet 16
January 24, 2022
The GIST: The round of 16 is complete, but things aren’t so sweet off the court at the Aussie Open.
WTA/TWITTER
The latest: On Saturday (local time), fans were asked to remove t-shirts reading, “Where is Peng Shuai?” (pronounced PUNG sh-WHY) referencing the Chinese tennis player who briefly went missing last year after accusing a former top Chinese government official of sexual assault.
- While Peng has been seen publicly and retracted her allegations since, there’s lingering uncertainty about her well-being and concern that she’s being censored.
- In response to the incident, Tennis Australia said Peng’s safety is their “primary concern,” but that “clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political” aren’t allowed, a move tennis legend Martina Navratilova called “cowardly.” Preach.
On court: As mentioned, we’re down to the singles quarter-finals, and some big names are still in contention.For the women, world No. 1 and top seed Ash Barty remains in the hunt for her first Aussie Open title. And for the men, No. 6 Rafael Nadal’s quest for his record-setting 21st Grand Slam continues.
- Transitioning to our Canadians, the men are still holding it down (under): No. 9 Félix Auger-Aliassime and No. 14 Denis Shapovalov (who’ll next face Nadal) are both on to the quarters. Throw some shrimp on the barbie for good luck.
Enjoying this article? Want more?
Sign up for The GIST and receive the latest sports news straight to your inbox three times a week.