Badosa and Azarenka smash top seed Shibahara and Aoyama at Adelaide International

The pair played a fantastic final in Indian Wells a few months ago and it was then revealed they share a very good relationship on the court. That was confirmed at the start of 2022 when the duo decided to play doubles in Adelaide. In a funny twist of events, they were drawn against each other in R1 of the singles event as well.

Their first match in doubles draw was a hard one against top seeds Shibahara and Aoyama who are a very good pairing. That did not bother the Spanish/Belarussian combination who played a very aggressive style of play attacking their opponents non-stop. Initially, it did not work out too well as they trailed 1-3 but over time they were able to wear down their opponent.

They won the first set with 6-4 and never looked back as the Japanese pairing had trouble dealing with their strong shotmaking. Both Azarenka and Badosa are capable of hitting winners from both sides and it proved crucial here, especially as the match went on. They smashed them properly in the 2nd set never allowing the result to be in doubt.

The final score was 6-4 6-2 for the combination who may even lift the trophy considering the way they played. It will also make their singles showdown very interesting to observe.