Stefani and Matos beat hosts and go to Australian Open semi

Luisa Stefani from Campinas and Rafael Matos from Rio Grande do Sul were even closer to winning the unprecedented title for the country in the mixed doubles of the Australian Open, in Melbourne. This Monday (24), they advanced to the semifinals after winning over the owners of the house John-Patrick Smith and Lizette Cabrera, by 2 sets to 0 (partials of 6/3 and 6/4). The dispute for a place in the final will start at 7:30 am (Brasília time) this Wednesday (25). Stefani and Matos will face another Australian duo: Marc Polmans and Olivia Gadeck. What a point! 🤩 @Luisa__Stefani 🤝 Rafael Matospic.twitter.com/KyurtXNAD9 — Time Brasil (@timebrasil) January 24, 2023 “I am very happy, in this great scenario, to be able to be back at a Grand Slam and this one, which is my favorite. For us it’s a dream come true to play on this center court. That atmosphere is really fun. We want to move forward. It’s not over yet”, said Stefani after this morning’s triumph. The Brazilian duo remains undefeated in the competition: they have won three in a row. The good chemistry started before the Grand Slam. Earlier this month, Stefani, current number 34 in the world (women’s doubles ranking) and Rafael (29th in men’s) started a partnership to defend the country in the United Cup – competition for teams, in Brisbane (Australia) – and added two victories . “The United Cup was an important moment for us to be able to play for the first time and compete for teams in an environment with the team. It was the perfect scenario for us to be able to play some games together and it helped us a lot”, admitted the campinense. Champion of the WTA 500 in Adelaide on the 13th, alongside the North American Taylor Townsend, the 25-year-old Brazilian would compete in the women’s doubles tournament in Melbourne alongside Caty McNally (United States). However, McNally withdrew from the competition, just minutes before the premiere, due to an injury. Rafael Matos from Rio Grande do Sul played in the first round of the men’s doubles alongside the Spaniard David Vega Hernández, but was eliminated after losing to the partnership of the Monegasque Hugo Nys and the Polish Jan Zielinski.


Agência Brasil