From flight naps to fan gifts: Fritz fights sleep, Sinner & Alcaraz have fun in Korea and Sabalenka smiles in Brisbane

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz stole the spotlight in Korea as they prepare for the Hyundai Super Card Match exhibition ahead of the Australian Open, while women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continues her campaign at the Brisbane International and received a special gift following her quarter-final victory over Madison Keys.

Meanwhile, the United Cup enters its final stage – with the semi-finals set to be played in Sydney this Saturday – forcing the United States and Switzerland teams to fly from Perth. This led to a funny moment featuring Taylor Fritz falling asleep on the plane, much to the amusement of Coco Gauff, while Belinda Bencic took the opportunity to thank the Perth fans for their support. Elsewhere, Alexandra Eala celebrated that she is “still here” in Auckland after reaching the semi-finals, marking her third consecutive win to start the season.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were the undisputed protagonists upon their arrival in Korea ahead of the upcoming Hyundai Super Card Match, an exhibition clash set to be played this weekend and marking the only on-court appearance of the World No. 1 and World No. 2 before the Australian Open. Both players caught plenty of attention in Seoul after playing some fun table tennis points – just a small preview of what’s to come at the exhibition – in images that quickly went viral across social media.

The multiple Grand Slam champions also joined forces for a TikTok video, showing their great sense of humour and having fun dancing in true Asian social media style. Although this is not an official match, it is still worth revisiting their official head-to-head record, with Alcaraz having won 9 of their 15 previous encounters. They have also faced each other in exhibitions – such as the final of the Six Kings Slam 2024 and again in early 2025 – with Sinner emerging victorious on both occasions, seemingly stepping on the accelerator when it comes to exhibition encounters.

Sloane Stephens has already returned to the courts for the 2026 season after taking several months away from tennis in 2025, following a tough losing streak that caused a sharp drop in her ranking. The former US Open champion has not won a match since July 2024, when she defeated Elsa Jacquemot in the first round of Wimbledon. At that time, Stephens was ranked World No. 50, but since then she has suffered up to 12 consecutive defeats, including her most recent season debut in Auckland.

Currently ranked World No. 1,098, the 32-year-old put up a solid fight in her Auckland debut against Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa, but eventually fell 5-7, 6-4, 2-6. The former World No. 3 shared a video blog of her journey from the United States to New Zealand, and later to Australia, also posting family travel videos alongside her parents at the airport, who accompanied her to Oceania ahead of her tournament debut. Stephens is now preparing to compete at the Australian Open, where she will play the qualifying draw.

Aryna Sabalenka received a very special gift from the crowd following her victory at the Brisbane International. The World No. 1 is one of the main stars of the Australian swing, and fans in every city she visits make sure to show their appreciation. This time in Brisbane – where she is the defending champion and top seed – she felt the love once again after defeating 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

The four-time major champion stayed true to her playful personality and great sense of humour while interacting with the crowd, clearly delighted by the gift she received: gummy bears from a fan, which prompted a spontaneous, smiling reaction for the cameras.

A fun video from the United Cup captured the moment Taylor Fritz was struggling to stay awake while flying from Perth to Sydney for the tournament’s semi-finals – with a very amused Coco Gauff sitting next to him. The Americans reached the semi-finals after overcoming Greece in the quarter-finals, earning the right to travel to Sydney for the final stages, with the No. 1 singles players seated side by side on the flight to the Australian city.

While Gauff tried to read a book with her noise-cancelling headphones on, the video shows a half-asleep Fritz attempting to fight the weight of his head as it kept tilting in his seat. Next to him, the two-time Grand Slam champion could be seen trying to hold back laughter at the amusing moment involving her teammate, ahead of Saturday’s clash against Poland – where Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz will be waiting, just as they did in the 2024 semi-finals and the 2025 final.

Another team that earned its tickets from Perth to Sydney for the United Cup semi-finals was Switzerland, led by Belinda Bencic and Stan Wawrinka, after delivering an impressive performance throughout the week. The Europeans came through a tough group stage against Italy and France, before defeating Argentina in the quarter-finals. Former World No. 4 Bencic shared several photos thanking the Perth fans for their support.

Meanwhile, three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka revealed the polo shirt he will wear for Switzerland’s upcoming tie against Belgium: a fully personalised shirt featuring the phrase “Belinda’s World” alongside a photo of Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Bencic. Wawrinka and Bencic are hoping to lead Switzerland into a historic first-ever United Cup final.

Alexandra Eala celebrated on social media the outstanding campaign she is producing at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she reached the semi-finals – the third WTA-level semi-final of her career. The 20-year-old Filipina has started the season in superb fashion, recording consecutive wins over Donna Vekić, Petra Marcinko and fifth seed Magda Linette. She also enjoyed a strong doubles run alongside American Iva Jovic, reaching the semi-finals before falling to third seeds Xu and Yang from China.

Eala now awaits her semi-final clash, scheduled for Saturday 10 January against China’s seventh seed Xinyu Wang, as she looks to reach the second final of her career. She has already secured a new career-high ranking of World No. 48, although advancing to the final would see her climb another five positions, capping off an excellent start to the season for the rising Filipina star.