Young women take centre stage on Saturday at the Australian Open with a rising star bidding to dethrone the reigning champion in the women’s final. Follow live!
However a portion of a conversation caught on a hot mic by a former sports reporter turned politician Basil Zempilas left fans fuming.
Zempilas says he was not talking about the match itself when he appeared to quip the women’s final was “a reserves game”, and instead was speaking about reading a news bulletin up against the match.
The former MC for several Australian Open finals and AFL commentator for Channel Seven was speaking at a press conference on Saturday as he moves from the Perth Lord Mayor role into WA state politics, representing the Liberal Party.
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He has been tipped as a potential future opposition leader, given his profile in the west and the horrendous state of the WA Liberals after their wipeout at the last election, despite being elected to his current role with just 3,264 votes.
But a comment to Nine reporter Michael Genovese, a portion of which was heard on a WAMN News live stream, left fans outraged.
Sabalenka and Zheng through to final | 02:11
Below is the full transcript of the conversation.
Genovese: “I’m reading the news tonight.”
Zempilas: “How about that? In the big chair. Is it head to head with-
Genovese: “Jerrie (Demasi, Genovese’s partner)’s reading for Seven.
Zempilas: “Unbelievable. What a showdown. It’s like a derby.
Zempilas continued, in the first comment heard in the original clip: “Tennis is on tonight, isn’t it?
Genovese: “Ah yeah, the female final.
Zempilas: “It’s a reserves game then.
“I say that having been there, obviously. Plenty of nights when I’ve read the- uh?”
He was then cut off by someone off mic, reacted briefly in surprise and said “OK” before stopping what he was saying.
“Reading the news against the tennis was what I was referring to as “being the reserves”. Not the tennis,” Zempilas tweeted.
“I can not make that any clearer or be any more emphatic. It is totally disingenuous and flat out wrong to suggest otherwise and I will not be accused of having said something I did not say.”
While the use of the word “game” was left out of Zempilas’ explanation, Genovese later confirmed this was the context of the conversation.
“This conversation has been taken completely out of context. @BasilZempilas was referring to the tennis and the news going head to head,” he tweeted.
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It’s by no means the last chance saloon, nor will it take away from what she has achieved in her glittering career to date.
But for Aryna Sabalenka, this Australian Open somewhat represents her last chance to conquer a dream she shared with her father before he unexpectedly passed away in 2019 at the age of 43.
In season one of the Netflix series Break Point, Sabalenka opened up on the promise she made to her father, Sergey, and the weight it placed on her shoulders.
“I lost my father four years ago. We had one dream, that before 25 I will win a couple of Grand Slams,” Sabalenka said.
“And when he passed away, I started thinking too much about it.
“Now I’m 24 and there is zero in my pocket. I feel like I just put so much pressure on myself.”
The episode aired prior to Sabalenka’s Australian Open triumph last year as she beat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Sabalenka came agonisingly close to winning her second grand slam in the same year, losing to Coco Gauff in the final of the 2023 US Open.
The Belarusian turns 26 on May 5, a few weeks before the French Open stars (May 26).
It means this Australian Open final against No. 12 seed Qinwen Zheng is perhaps the last chance to deliver on her dream, even if the goalposts have slightly moved.
Follow the Australian Open in our live blog below!
DAY 14 ORDER OF PLAY (Notable matches, all times AEDT)
Rod Laver Arena
Junior Girls’ Singles Final, 12pm
No.1 Renata Jamrichova (SVK) def No.6 Emerson Jones (AUS) 6-4, 6-1
Women’s Singles Final, 7:30pm
No.12 Qinwen Zheng (CHN) vs No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
Men’s Doubles Final
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (ITA) vs No.2 Rohan Bopanna (IND) and Matt Ebden (AUS)