Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka and reigning US Open title-holder Emma Raducanu were putting in some prep work Wednesday as they continued their build-up towards the first Grand Slam of the year.
Osaka, 24, made a winning return after four months away at the Melbourne Summer Set on Tuesday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over France's Alize Cornet.
Raducanu withdrew from this week's Australian Open warm-up tournament in Melbourne as she has only recently come out of isolation following a positive Covid-19 result which also saw her miss the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Both Osaka and Raducanu were put through their paces by their coaching teams during practice sessions at Melbourne Park, which will host the Australian Open from January 17-30.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
WISH
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