Watch Rybakina vs Azarenka: live stream Australian Open tennis semi-final from anywhere

published 26 January 2023

Generations collide in this battle of power hitters

(Image: © Getty Images / Will Murray)

Watch Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream

You can watch Rybakina vs Azarenka now on 9Now for free in Australia. In the US, you can watch this Australian Open semi final on ESPN+ and ESPN. In the UK and Europe, the tennis is on Discovery Plus. Full details on how to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka from anywhere are just below.

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January 26: Not before 7.30pm AEDT / 9.30pm NZDT / 8.30am GMT / 3.30am ET / 12.30am PT

Free live stream: 9Now (Aus)

Use ExpressVPN to watch any stream

Rybakina vs Azarenka: match preview

Two of the last four standing in the women's draw are grand slam winners, but only one will get the chance to contest the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. 23-year-old Elena Rybakina is seen as the future of tennis, while 33-year-old Victoria Azarenka's run in Melbourne has provided an unexpected blast from the past. It's a battle of the generations.

Azarenka has a bittersweet relationship with the Australian Open. It's the only major she's won, and she's done it twice, but there's still bad blood between the Belarusian and the locals after a controversial medical timeout that overshadowed her most recent triumph, in 2013. Azarenka hasn't forgotten the fallout of that incident, and as she revealed after her dominant victory over No.3 seed Jessica Pegula on Tuesday, she feels that she's the one who's owed an apology.

Rybakina has gone about her business rather more quietly. In fact, you'll have done well to catch her at all. The reigning Wimbledown champion has been ruthlessly efficient, dropping just one set up to this point and only once being pushed beyond 90 minutes. Her 35 aces lead the way in the women's draw, and she struck 11 of them against Jelena Ostapenko, who entered the match as the tournament's standout returner.

Rybakina and Azarenka have met just once before, at Indian Wells last year. The Kazakhstani star won in straight sets on that occasion, though from what we've seen so far in Melbourne, she'll be forced to cover a lot of ground by Azarenka. Follow our guide as we explain how you can watch a Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream and watch Australian Open 2023 from wherever you are.

Watch a Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream for FREE

Tennis fans in Australia can watch the 2023 Australian Open for FREE on Channel 9 and 9Gem (opens in new tab).

Rybakina vs Azarenka will start no earlier than 7.30pm AEDT (3.30am ET) on Thursday evening.

That means viewers can also fire up a free Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream on the 9Now streaming service (opens in new tab), which is compatible with most smart devices. Currently away from Australia?

Use a VPN to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka on 9Now from abroad (opens in new tab)

Die-hard tennis fans might want to take a look at Stan Sport, which is live streaming every match on every court, ad-free. A subscription costs $10 per month (on top of a $10 Stan sub), after a 7-day FREE trial, though it's less tempting now that the tournament is drawing to a close.

Watch a Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream from outside your country

For broadcast and streaming details in more tennis-mad countries like the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand, just scroll down the page - everything you need to know is there, including details of who's showing Rybakina vs Azarenka.

But if you try to watch your domestic coverage from outside your home country, you'll soon find a problem: geo-blocking. That's where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It's a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home.

Use a VPN to watch a Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream from anywhere

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We've tested all the major VPNs and we rate ExpressVPN as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

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How to use a VPN to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN - our top choice is ExpressVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location, eg: 'Australia' for 9Now.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - 9Now (opens in new tab) for Aussie citizens abroad.

How to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka: live stream tennis in the US without cable

Tennis fans in the US can watch Rybakina vs Azarenka on ESPN Plus, with the match set to start no earlier than 3.30am ET / 12.30am PT on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

The 2023 Australian Open is being shown across ESPN's suite of TV channels and its ESPN Plus streaming service.

Stream Rybakina vs Azarenka live without cable

If you don't have ESPN on cable, you'll need a streaming service that includes it, and ESPN Plus is the cheapest and most obvious place to start.

ESPN Plus costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. For the ultimate value, you can get a combined ESPN+, Hulu and Disney Plus bundle for just $13.99 a month, which adds loads of great entertainment and family-friendly content to the mix.

Another good option is Sling TV. Its Orange package offers ESPN 1, 2 and 3, plus plenty more top premium channels. It costs $40 a month but you can get your first month for half-price (opens in new tab).

A costlier but even more thorough cable alternative is FuboTV (opens in new tab), which includes ESPN, ESPN 2 and more than 100 more channels. Prices start at $69.99 a month after a FREE FuboTV trial (opens in new tab).

And remember, use a VPN to access your domestic streaming services when outside your home country - we rate ExpressVPN as the best overall (opens in new tab).

How to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka: live stream Australian Open 2023 tennis in the UK

Tennis fans in the UK can watch the 2023 Australian Open on Eurosport and its streaming arm Discovery Plus, with Rybakina vs Azarenka set to start no earlier than 8.30am GMT on Thursday morning.

Discovery+ subscriptions costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 for the year, and allows you to tune in on a wide range of devices, as well as the Eurosport TV channels.

If you’re out of the UK but still want to tune in, make sure you install a VPN (opens in new tab) so you can continue accessing UK streaming services from anywhere.

How to watch Rybakina vs Azarenka: live stream Australian Open tennis in Canada

In Canada, you can watch Australian Open 2023 on TSN, but be warned that Rybakina vs Azarenka will start at around 3.30am ET / 12.30am PT on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

If you get the channel as part of your cable deal, you'll be able to log in with the details of your provider for access to a Rybakina vs Azarenka live stream.

If you don't have cable, you can subscribe to TSN on a streaming-only basis from CA$19.99 a month or $199.90 each year.

If you decide to subscribe or already have, remember you can take your favorite sports streaming service with you wherever you go - just try our No. 1 overall rated VPN 100% risk-free for 30-days (opens in new tab) and follow the instructions above.

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Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.

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