Zheng vs Sabalenka live stream: How to watch Australian Open final online, Belarusian wins first set
Can the 12th seed upset the defending champion?
Aryna Sabalenka has made the perfect start in the defense of her title, winning the first set 6-3. Can she now go on to claim her second Grand Slam title? Or will Zheng find a way back into the match?
Read on for how to watch Zheng vs Sabalenka from anywhere with a VPN.
The Zheng vs Sabalenka live stream takes place today (Jan 27).
► Time (approx): 3:30 a.m. ET / 12:30 a.m. PT / 8:30 a.m. GMT / 7:30 p.m. AEDT
• FREE — 9Now (Australia)
• U.S. — ESPN via SlingTV and ESPN Plus
• U.K. — Eurosport via Sky or Discovery Plus
• Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
After six matches in Melbourne, Sabalenka has yet to drop a set. She has looked virtually unplayable in Australia and has managed to find a way to cut down on her errors while still playing with her naturally aggressive game. Clearly at ease on a court where she won her maiden Grand Slam title one year ago, she will start the final as the firm favorite.
While the 25-year-old has defeated numerous seeds on her run to the final, Zheng has yet to face a seed, reaching her maiden Grand Slam showpiece by defeating Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the semi-finals.
It has been a dream draw for the 21-year-old but she will have to raise her game to another level if she hopes to replicate the success of her compatriot Li Na, who 10 years ago overcame Dominika Cibulková to become the first Chinese woman to win the Australian Open singles title.
Can Zheng pull off an upset and win a maiden major title? Follow our guide as we explain how you can watch a Zheng vs Sabalenka live stream and watch Australian Open 2024 games from wherever you are today.
FREE Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams
FREE Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams
If you're lucky enough to live in Australia then you can look forward to a FREE Zheng vs Sabalenka live stream.
Free-to-air Channel Nine and its 9Now streaming service have the rights to the action and will be showing wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament.
But what if you're usually based in Australia but aren't at home for the Qinwen Zheng vs Aryna Sabalenka? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams around the world
How to watch Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams from anywhere with a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.
For instance, an Australian who's currently in the U.S. could watch the Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams on 9Now, even though they're not in Australia.
They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Safety, speed and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. It's also compatible with loads of devices and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it out.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Australian service, you'd select Australia from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 9Now and watch the tennis.
How to watch Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams in the U.S.
Tennis fans in the U.S. will need ESPN to watch Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams. The cable brand will have extensive coverage from Melbourne Park on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and the Tennis Channel.
ESPN is available through most cable packages as well as some of the best cable TV alternatives, including Sling TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV.
Our pick of these would be Sling TV. The Sling Orange package starts at just $40 per month and comes with more than 30 channels including ESPN.
Fubo, meanwhile, costs $79.99 per month for 121 channels and includes ESPN. It offers a 7-day free trial.
And remember, if you're usually based in the U.S. but aren't there at the moment, you can still watch the services you already subscribe to via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.
Sling TV includes ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 in its Orange package, which starts at $40 a month (or less with a Sling TV promo code).
If you love sports, you might want to check out Fubo. It's got dozens of sports channels, including ESPN and the Tennis Channel, and offers a 7-day free trial. You can also save on fees with our Fubo promo codes.
How to watch the Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams in the U.K.
British tennis lovers will be able to watch the Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams on Eurosport, which is available through Sky TV or Discovery Plus.
Eurosport comes with a Sky TV package, starting at £26 per month. Subscribers can also stream online via the Eurosport website and Eurosport app.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.98 or month-long access for £34.99.
If your cable TV comes from Virgin Media, meanwhile, Eurosport is included in your regular subscription.
Or you can get Eurosport coverage via Discovery Plus for £5.99 per month.
Going on holiday? Sign up to ExpressVPN or another VPN service and you'll be able to use the services you already subscribe to.
How to watch the Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams in Canada
Canadians can catch all the Australian Open action, including Zheng vs Sabalenka, on TSN (in English) or RSN (in French), as part of a cable TV package. If you've cut the cord, a streaming subscription to TSN Plus starts at CA$8 per month.
Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.
How to watch the Zheng vs Sabalenka live streams in Australia
Aussies can watch the Australian Open unfold on Channel Nine and 9Gem. Their schedules are very fluid, so if big matches like Zheng vs Sabalenka don't air on TV, you'll be able to live stream them on the on-demand service 9Now. That's great news because 9Now is available for free; all you need is an Australian postcode.
Those lucky tennis fans Down Under also have a pay-TV option to watch comprehensive coverage of every court at the tournament, plus a number of other sports, ad-free on Stan Sport.
A subscription costs $10 per month (on top of a $15 Stan sub), after a 30-day Stan Sport FREE trial.
Remember, Aussies who aren't in the country right now will simply need to sign up to a VPN such as ExpressVPN in order to watch all the action as if they were back home.
Sign up now to get the best Black Friday deals!
Discover the hottest deals, best product picks and the latest tech news from our experts at Tom’s Guide.
Adrian is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about sport for a wide range of publications including World Soccer Magazine, Newsweek, Yahoo and FourFourTwo. Having covered everything from the NBA Finals and French Open to the London Olympics and F1 in Abu Dhabi, his great passion remains soccer – a sport he could write and talk about all day long.