(In pictures) Jackie Chan spotted watching the Australian Open women’s final between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka failed to win three Australian Open on the trot after a three-set defeat to Madison Keys in the final.

(In pictures) Jackie Chan spotted watching the Australian Open women’s final between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys

Aryna Sabalenka, Jackie Chan, Madison Keys (Images via X)

When Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys were battling it out in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday (January 25), a cinema legend was spotted sitting with the crowd inside the Rod Laver Arena.

It was Jackie Chan, the martial artist and actor from Hong Kong, who has appeared in international hits such as Rush Hour, The Karate Kid, and Drunken Master, among many others.

YouTube video

Sam Smith, who was sitting behind the microphone for Channel 9, speculated whether the reason behind Chan’s presence in the women’s singles final had something to do with Sabalenka.

FS Video

I wonder if there is a Sabalenka connection there, because Jason Stacey, who is the chap that sits in the middle of her front three row of hitter, and her coach, Anton Dubrov, he is from a martial arts background.

Sam Smith said

Check out the picture here:

In a video shared on the Australian Open’s official YouTube channel, Chan also had a chat with Men’s World No.2 Alexander Zverev, who will be playing his first Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner on Sunday (January 26). The 70-year-old also worked out with Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt in the gym.

Aryna Sabalenka fails to complete threepeat at Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka entered the final as the favorite to win and complete a historic threepeat at Melbourne Slam. The Belarusian, however, failed in her task as Madison Keys won the match with scores of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win her first Grand Slam title.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka, Madison Keys (Images via WTA/X)

Sabalenka was on a 20-match winning streak before the final and was aiming to become the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open since Martina Hingis in 1997-99.

With this win, Keys has now become the fourth woman in the decade to beat World No.1 and World No.2 in the same tournament. In the semifinal, the American had to overcome World No.2 Iga Swiatek, who was chasing her first title at the Melbourne Slam. En route to her maiden Major triumph, the 29-year-old had also knocked out 6th seed Elena Rybakina.

Keys, currently ranked No.14, will become a No.7 player on Monday. She also extended her winning streak this year to 12 following her successful run at the Adelaide International. The defeat, however, won’t affect Sabalenka’s ranking and she will continue to stay on top. Before this tournament, Keys had reached the final of the 2017 US Open, but she was defeated by compatriot Sloane Stephens.