Exhibition season is about to kick off in tennis as Naomi Osaka arrived in Atlanta for the upcoming Atlanta Cup. It’s going to be held on Saturday (December 6), in the form of a mixed doubles tennis match where Osaka is slated to team up with hometown boy Ben Shelton, with the duo facing the team of Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.
Naomi Osaka Arrives in Atlanta for the Atlanta Cup
Osaka had been enjoying her offseason in the Caribbean along with Taylor Townsend, as the duo had shared many photos from their time together. However, the Japanese superstar is ready to hit the courts again at the Atlanta Cup, where she is ready to partner with Ben Shelton. Osaka shared a picture en route to Atlanta on her Instagram story, with the caption “On the road again”.
Sabalenka and Kyrgios have also arrived in Atlanta for the event, as both of them shared pictures on their social media. While Sabalenka shared pictures from her plane while en route to the destination, Kyrgios shared pictures of himself and the Belarusian from the venue. Sabalenka captioned her post as “Touched down in Atlanta, see you tomorrow @atlantacup”, whereas Kyrgios posted the picture of the duo, captioning “naughty or nice”.
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All four players involved had varying fortunes on the court this season. While Kyrgios played only a handful of matches on the Tour, as the Australian was still struggling with his injuries. It remains uncertain whether he will play full-time on the Tour next year, given the limited number of matches he has played and the intensive rehabilitation he must continue to undergo.
On the other hand, Osaka had a fine season, breaking into the Top 20 once more by the year’s end. She reached two finals in Auckland and Montreal, and had a tremendous semifinal run at the US Open. Shelton had a season of major career milestones, as the American player won a Masters 1000 title in Canada, and maintained his impressive record at the Grand Slams with a semifinal run in Melbourne.
Of the four players concerned, it was Sabalenka who had the most high-profile season of all. She remained the World No. 1, winning four titles from nine finals, including one Grand Slam and two WTA 1000 titles.
