Righto, that’s us done for today. Thanks all for your company, and we’ll be back tomorrow for more love and joy – join Katy Murrells for a bit of Sinner v Gaston, Osaka v Ruzic, Boulter v Bencic and Mochizuki v Tstisipas, with hopefully some Dimitrov v Machac thrown in. Peace.
Muller, who turned around a fifth-set break, says it was easy as Popyrin served really well. He tried to concentrate and play his own game but the crowd were against him so it wasn’t easy. on the other hand, he enjoys it as in France, the crowd being for you can bring more pressure.
He had some cramps that gave him grief during the last hour, so will have to try and recover, but he’ll come to the next match with a plan and see how it goes.
Alexandre Muller beats Alexei Popyrin 2-6 6-3 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4)
A mighty effort from Muller who wins the first five-setter of his career, earning a second-round match with Alexander Zverev. That was some seriously intense behaviour, handling the crowd to play some of the best stuff of his career.
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Muller nets a return; five match points remain, but he is now serving.
Popyrin rams an ace down the T; six match points remain.
Yup, Popyrin has gone. Muller floats a return back into the corner, sticks in the rally, and again, the Aussie botches a forehand; 7-2. There must now be a collapse for him to win, but another error means 8-2, then a long return 9-2. Seven [7] richly deserved match points…
Better from Muller, a huge serve and a swing-volley putaway for 5-2, then a long backhand from Popyrin and he leads 6-2. He’s kept his composure superbly so far, and he’s now four points away.
Now then. Another forehand error, this time long, and Muller has the mini-break, the crowd cheering when he dumps a first serve. But, though he doesn’t put away a swing-volley, playing it far too safe, Popyrin again nets a forehand, a big weapon forsaking him at the crucial moment, to trail 2-4.
At 1-1, Popyrin works the rally well, opening the angle for a big forehand, but then he closes shoulders and clouts it into the net; 2-1 Muller.
Popyrin opens with an ace, the atmosphere in the crowd more football than tennis – or, probably more accurately, more AO than Wimbledon, which makes sense, all things considered.
Thanks Luke and hi again. We’ve only one match left today and that’s deep into a fifth set, Muller with 40-0 against Popyrin, serving for a match tiebreak. The crowd are as into it as you’d expect, and the players are on the manic side of agitated; this is what it’s all about, and Muller holds to 15 for that decisive breaker.
That’s the lot from me, Daniel’s back from break.
“Great to be back,” says Djokovic. “My favourite court, that has given me so much. I tried to give it back in the last 20-plus years. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the tennis tonight.”
On his 100th win in Melbourne:
“To be a centurion is pretty nice. I always give my best … history-making is a great motivation part in the last five, 10 years … once I got myself in the position to make history, I was even more inspired to play my best tennis … that’s what I’ve done.
“I was fortunate to encounter some people early in my career who taught me to play the long shot, to not burn out too quickly, to take care of my body and my mind and try to have as long a career as possible.
“I am blessed to still be playing and to adding another win is a dream come true. Thank you all for witnessing it.”
Seeing some footage of his shirtless body from much earlier in his career, he adds:
“I wish I could bring back that body … not for the beach, not for the looks, but for the functionality on the court. I think it served me well.”
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Djokovic beats Martínez: 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
“A clinical performance … all aspects of his game firing on all cylinders,” says Henman on commentary for Discovery +.
“He was aggressive, he was controlled, and after two hours, he’ll be delighted with a straight-sets victory.”
And that’s 100 victories at this tournament for Djokovic. He now has a century of wins at three of the four grand slams.
Martínez 3-6, 2-6, 2-5 *Djokovic (*denotes next server)
And like that … he’s gone.
Well not quite. But Djokovic breaks again – and this is nearly over.
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*Martínez 3-6, 2-6, 2-4 Djokovic (*denotes next server)
Djokovic does some more elite tennis-ing and eases into a 4-2 lead.
“I’ve been very impressed,” Henman says on commentary of the Serbian’s display. “He’s been pretty much faultless. Hasn’t expended too much energy, used all the shots.”
You do have the option of emailing me to point out my errors send me your thoughts on the action.
Martínez 3-6, 2-6, 2-3 *Djokovic (*denotes next server)
Well would you look at that. The irrepressible Serbian breaks his Spanish opponent and that should be curtains, Goodnight Vienna, all over bar the shouting, or something like that. Djokovic can serve for a 4-2 lead.
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Martínez 3-6, 2-6, 2-2 Djokovic
The Spaniard is serving and we’re all square in the third.
The umpire tells off someone naughty in the crowd who shouted during the point.
Right, what’s occurring on Rod Laver Arena?
Ruud speaks: “It was a great, kind of perfect start. This is one of my favourite courts in the world, the crowd is always amazing. Thanks for staying I know it’s late [the crowd cheers, on cue] … I’m excited, looking forward to being back in a few days.”
Ruud and his wife Maria are expecting a baby daughter imminently, and the next question is about that.
“I have to thank Maria for letting me go in the first place,” Ruud says of his journey to Australia. “Unless I’m playing a match, the ‘ringer’ is always on … there is more to life than tennis. I’ll be here as long as I can, and for as long as Maria lets me.
“Hopefully I can get to finish here, with everything going well at home. Hopefully next year I’ll be back and I’ll be a father.”
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Ruud beats Bellucci: 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
C’est comme ça.
Ruud seals the game and the match. The two players greet each other warmly at the net, Ruud apparently impressed with the fight the 24-year-old Bellucci showed, the Italian smiling and wishing his conqueror the best. Nothing wrong with that.
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Bellucci 1-6, 2-6, 4-5 Ruud
The Italian has now saved three match points, the latest of them with an ace. At deuce Ruud looks to go down the line but it’s a naff effort that spanners off his racket.
Bellucci, whose celebration of the third saved match point showed he regards this as very much game on, finally seals his hold of serve. He’s forced his opponent to serve it out – and that’s the name of the game.
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Bellucci 1-6, 2-6, 3-5 Ruud
A Ruud awakening for Bellucci? I couldn’t possibly comment. The Norwegian is now a game away from his own celebratory drink of choice.
Martínez 3-6, 2-6 Djokovic
The tennis machine that is Novak Djokovic eases into a two-set lead, and he can almost taste that ice-cold pint of Castlemaine XXXX he’s going to sink after he wins.
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Bellucci 1-6, 2-6, 3-4 Ruud
Over on Margaret Court Arena Caspar Ruud, the No 12 seed, remains on top of Mattia Bellucci. The world No 76 is being worked around the court by the Norwegian’s shot-mmaking, the latest a handsome forehand winner to the corner.
Martínez 3-6, 2-5 *Djokovic (*denotes next server)
This is all moving pretty quickly. Djokovic digs out a ludicrous down-the-line winner, sliding to his left, and quickly seals a double break. He will serve for the second set.
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Thanks Daniel and hi everyone.
Tennis, is it? OK. Djokovic now leads 3-2 in the second set, Martínez having held his serve.
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Righto, I’m off for a break. Here’s Luke McLaughlin to chill with you in the meantime.
Ach, and Djokovic has just broken Martínez, even redder in the face than the photo suggests, to lead 6-2 3-1; neither of our show-court matches looks likely to be even remotely close.
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A vicious backhand and Muller breaks Popyrin back for 4-4 in set four – Popyrin leads 2-1 – then Bellucci, just broken for a second time in the second set, forces break point as Ruud serves for it at 6-1 5-2. for all the good it does him: the no 12 seed saves it, serves out, and he leads 6-1 6-2.
Bellucci just can’t get anything going, now down 1-6 2-4 as Ruud has his way with him. He just can’t play well enough for long enough to do any damage, though it’s also fair to note that the Norwegian is hitting it nicely.
And he does, a 6-3 first set settled – served the Serbian.
Popyrin has broken Muller and leads 2-1 3-2, the crowd as into the match as he is. Meantime, Djokovic is working hard to break Martinez, amazingly red in the face, a second time but, after various set points are saved, he must serve for it.
I say Bellucci was inexplicably tentative but actually that isn’t true: thinking he’d done the hard bit, he was trying to make sure he didn’t ruin his good work by playing carefully or, put another way, pressure
Oh Mattia. Down break point, he wallops the cover off it to seize control of the rally then, coming in, is inexplicably tentative, sending a weak one into the hit zone; Ruud metes out due punishment via forehand pass and leads 6-1 2-1.
I’m quite enjoying Bellucci’s top, he’ll be gratified to discover when scrolling through the GBG later tonight. Swings and roundabouts, though – he’s break point down – but a leaping, inside-out backhand saves it and to deuce we move.
Bellucci is playing a bit better now, holding at the start of set two; Ruud does likewise to lead 6-1 1-1. Djokovic, meanwhile, leads Martinez 4-1 in the first.
Back to Cain, where Popyrin celebrates with gusto having taken the third set 6-3, serving it out with the help of three aces; he leads Muller 2-1 and is noising up an already excitable crowd.
I wondered if Bellucci would give Ruud grief; er, not so far. At 5-1, the Norwegian is serving for the first set, his steadiness to much for an opponent looking to conjure and, as I type, a hold to 15 secures a 6-1 advantage.
On Cain, (what I consider to be) the song of the Australian Open is playing, sorting all of our earworms for the day.
Djokovic, with just the 10 Aussie Open's to his name, breaks Martinez at the first time of asking. He leads 2-0 and, as I type, a backhand slice hits the tape and clambers over the net for a winner; from there, he closes out his consolidation for 3-0.
Munar has beaten Svrcina 6-3 in the fifth – next for him it’s Bellucci or Ruud – meaning the only match still in progress, save those on our two main courts, is Popryrin 6-2 3-6 4-2 Muller.
It’s a weird thing really, painting Ruud as some kind of failure, when in reality the opposite is so. By making major finals, he exceeded his expected level, making more of his ability than seemed likely; I doubt he’s haunted by his inability to convert a final into a trophy, rather proud of how close he got. He breaks Bellucci, consolidates, and leads 3-0 in the first
We’re under way on Court, Ruud holding for 1-0. After making three finals 2022-23, his days of contesting majors seem to be over – if ever he did. Which is a harsh thing to say from the comfort of my box room, but I don’t think anyone, not even Ruud, felt he had a chance of winning any of those matches.
Novak Djokovic, then. He says he wants to defend his Olympic title in 2028, which feels like a long way away – can he handle schlepping around the world to contest tournaments he’s no chance of winning? That’s got to take a mental toll, especially when you’ve a young family, but if we know anything, it’s that he’s not build like the rest of us.
On Court 15, Jaume Munar leads Dalibor Svrcina 4-2 in the fifth while, on Cain, Muller has levelled at one set-all against Popyrin, who leads 2-1 on serve in the third.
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Next on Laver: Pedro Martínez v Novak Djokovic (4).
Swiatek says she was rusty at the start but knew that if she put the work in she’d play better. Mainly she needed to sort her footwork as she started tight, then go after her shots and make good decisions, while reacting a bit quicker; it’s good to win matches when things aren’t going well.
Asked about the winners she hit to break and win set one, she explains that that was what she meant when talking about going for it, taking her chances; she’s so intense my screen is on fire.
Oh man, Gea goes over to the French lot, takes a selfie as they ruffle his hair, and of the seven billion or so people on the planet, he is currently the happiest. What a thing to be able to say; that is great, great stuff.
Arthur Gea beats Jiri Lehecka (17) 7-5 7-6(1) 7-5
An amazing result for Gea, who has a large French contingent in the crowd going wild for him, on grand slam debut. He played superbly, showed no signs of nerves, and it’s not just a win, it’s a tousing. Next for him: Stan Wawrinka!
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Diana Shnaider (23) beats Barbora Krejcikova 2-6 6-3 6-3
Next for her: Talia Gibson.
Oh man! Gea breaks Lehecka and will shortly serve to eliminate the no 17 seed in his debut grand slam match!
Iga Swiatek (2) beats Yue Yuan 7-6(5) 6-3
Yuan gave a good account of herself but Swiatek found enough and faces Bouzkova next – that could be easier.
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Back on Laver, Swiatek leads Yuan 7-6 5-3, reaches advantage and that’s match point…
Lehecka saves himself – for now – breaking Gea back to trail 5-7 6-7 5-4; Krejcikova is serving at 3-5 in the third, Shnaier a game away from victory.
Next on Court: Mattia Bellucci v Casper Ruud (12).
In typically mischievous style, Andreeva starts her interview by saying she did everything and her teammates did nothing, then explains that she’s pleased she went for her shots even when things weren’t working.
On Martinez, she says she’s a good coach but with room for improvement, adding that, over the last few months, they’ve been working on her keeping focused and sticking to the plan. But now she realises it depends on how much she wants to do it, finding the mindset that it doesn’t matter what’s going on on the court, she has to go for her shots and try to be brave.
Mirra Andreeva (8) beats Donna Vekic 4-6 6-3 6-0
A good workout for Andreeva, who struggled early on but slowly took over and now faces Maria Sakkari in round two.
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Vekic made a match of it but it’s all Andreeva now: a third break means she leads 5-0 in set three and will now serve for the match. Lehecka, meanwhile, burned a break-back point and trails Gea 2-0 4-3, running out of time to save himself; and Yuan holds through a 10-minute game to trail Swiatek 6-7 3-4.
Swiatek is being forced to fight for it and her second-serve travails won’t be escaping potential future opponents. But for now, she leads 7-6 4-2, while Andreeva is now dominating a tired Vekic, up 3-0 in the third with a double break.
Vekic changes her clothes but is still broken immediately in set three. On the one hand, Andreeva looked a little confused in the first but, on the other, she’s worked things out thereafter and, should she come through, will be stronger for having been tested. As I type, she consolidates to 30, and leads 2-0 in the third.
Oh! With most of the court to aim at, Swiatek goes long on the backhand, and Yuan retrieves one break; that massage worked wonders, what could it do for livebloggers?
Back on 1578, Lehecka is in terrible troubler, now down two sets and a break to Gea, whose shown no signs of nerves playing the match of his life. And elsewhere, Krejcikoa, whose legs look held together, is taking treatment , down a break to Shnaider in set three; Popyrin leads Muller 6-2 1-1; and Mertens is up 7-5, saying tara to Tararudee.
Yuan takes some massage, lying flat on her front, and it seems to work – she earns break point, only to err on the forehand. She does, though, make advantage again, but an unreturnable serve restores deuce at 7-5 3-0.
Back on Court, Vekic takes a break between sets and Andreeva confers with Martinez as Boom! Shake the Room segues into That’s Amore because it’s impossible for people to enjoy conversation with others, or their own thoughts.
I’m quite enjoying Andreeva’s trainers – she’ll be gratified to learn when she scrolls through the GBG to find out how she’s played. She serves out to 15 to confirm a 6-3 set; she and Vekic will now play a decider.
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Yuan gets the physio out to check her back over, but at 7-6 3-0 it feels moot. On Court, Andreeva is serving for the second set at 5-3.
Goodness me, Gea takes the breaker 7-1 to lead Lehecka, the number 17 seed, 7-5 7-6. It’s a long way back from here, against a big server on the buzz of his life.
Swiatek endorses her break for 7-6 2-0 but – or and - Yuan is holding her back, in some discomfort. This match is only going one way, but on Court, a third set looks likely, Andreeva breaking Vekic then holding easily for 5-2 in the second. She’s done well not to panic under the forehand onslaught, playing and eventually imposing her game.
Lehecka comes in and Gea hits at him so hard he can’t control his volley; that’s the break back, suitably well celebrated, and in the second-set breaker, the young qualifier soon leads 3-0. He’s playing a superb match.
Gea has stones, taking time to sit down and sort laces when up advantage. Lehecka, though, isn’t fazed, saving another break-back point … only to swipe a forehand wide to end a sapping rally meaning he must now face another. Back on Laver, Swiatek breaks Yuan in the first game of set two – she’s settling – and on Court, Vekic leads Andreeva 6-4 2-3 on serve.
We’ve not visited with Krejcikova for a while, but she’s just lost the second set to the 27-seeded Shnaider; they’ll now play a decider.
Time’s up? Lehecka held for 5-5, then broke for 6-5, and is now down 15-30 as he looks to level the match. I’ve not seen Gea play before – he’s only 21 and this is his grand slam debut – but you can see he’s loving it out there, raising break-back point only for Lehecka to seize another via ace.
A net cord allows Swiatek to thwack a forehand, and at 6-4, she has two set points. Yuan saves the first, but the second is on serve … and an inside-out backhand, punished to the corner, confirms a 7-6(5) set.
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I know slams are at their best in week two, when the big dogs meet, and the immersion in those matches is special, but so too is the opportunity to watch a million things at once, with more things going on that it’s possible to follow. That feeling of abundance brings a sense of security; in week two, we know things will soon end, but for now, everything stretches out in front of us.
Swiatek isn’t enjoying her second serve, a big forehand return down the line making a fourth mini-break in a row and earning Yuan 2-2. Looking back over to 1573, a lovely half-volley from Gea gives him two points for a two-set lead against Lehecka at 7-5 5-4 … both saved.
I’m not sure why, but Vekic moves from hitting at the backhand to the forehand and it nearly costs her a point, a huge forehand to the corner switching momentum with Andreeva at the net, unable to adjust for her volley. That makes 40-15, the first set point is converted, and Vekic leads 6-4! Work to do for the no 8 seed, while a hold apiece means Yuan and Swiatek are now playing a first-set tiebreak.
Terrific hitting from Swiatek, a forehand for 15-30 then a pair of backhands for 40, give her break-back points, then a loopy backhand cross drops on to the outside of the sideline, and that’s 5-5, This is a really good tussle, likewise Vekic v Andreeva; that’s 4-4 in the first, but on return, the vet clobbers forehands to make advantage and two more vicious forehands, targeting Andreeva’s backhand, mean a break! She’ll now serve for the first set and for now, at least, is unarguably in the ascendancy.
Swiatek holds, forcing Yuan to serve for the first set at 5-4, while Vekic, being given all she can handle by Andreeva, holds for 4-4.
A booming forehand gives Yuan 40-15, then Swiatek hooks a return wide, and at 3-5 will now serve to stay in the set. She seems to be struggling with how hard to hit her shots, perhaps because it’s windy, perhaps because the balls they use in Melbourne fluff up quickly. Either way, she’s in trouble.
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When Swiatek broke back, I probably wasn’t alone in thinking she’d find things easier; well, Yuan saw things differently. She breaks a second time to lead 4-3, but the more she believes she can win, the more the pressure ramps up.
Big up.
And by the way, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro can really play.
Swiatek raises break-back point, a decent return of decent power and length, forces her into the point, and Yuan overhits a forehand; we’re level at 3-3. Meantime, Gea breaks Lehecka back to lead 7-5 2-2 while, on Laver, Vekic and Andereeva are also level at 3-3.
Denis Shapovalov (21) beats Yunchaokete Bu 6-3 7-6(3) 6-1
Next for him: Marin Cilic. Will watch!
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Krejcikova does serve out the first set to lead Shnaider 6-2, but let’s focus on Swiatek for a moment. Yuan is a solid baseliner, not loads more, and there’s no sense the no 2 seed is struggling with the wind, of which there’s plenty – she just hasn’t got her arm going yet.
I didn’t get a answer to this yesterday, so let’s go again today: why are Mini Eggs so good?
Shnaider holds, so Krejcikova, her left leg heavily strapped, must serve for the set at 5-2; having gone a set down to Gea, a qualifier, Lehecka breaks immediately then holds to trail 5-7 2-0; Tomljaovic leads Starodubtseva 4-6 7-6 5-1; Andreeva leads Vekic 3-2 on serve; and Swiatek is struggling against Yuan, down 1-3.
Elsewhere, Gea has just broken Lehecka, seeded 17, to take set one 7-5, while Krejcikova, a double grand slam champion but unseeded – a brutal first-round draw for Shnaider, ranked 23 – has set point at 5-1, and though it’s saved as I type, she’ll have two goes at serving it out even if she can’t force it through on return.
Now a break on Laver, to Andreeva for 3-1. She’s looking pretty decent out there, and I guess it’s time to ask the question I ask every slam: will she win one? I guess I’ve always leant no, on the basis that, though she has plenty of time to improve, she appeared into the game closer than most to fully formed. Had she been around a decade ago, I’d have backed her absolutely, but the top of the women’s game now is a shark tank, in which there are too many inhabitants with sharper teeth.
Other hand, Conchita Martínez, her coach, arguably knows more about tennis than I do, and she’s certain, so. Either way, while I was writing that, Vekic broke back for 3-2.
Action on Laver! Yuan breaks Swiatek immediately, then consolidates for 2-0 while, on Laver, Andreeva leads Vekic 2-1 on serve.
As a result of that match ending, I need to find another one to watch. I’ve gone for Lehecka 5-6 Gea, and am seeking Krejcikova 4-1 Snaider on my phone.
That breaker seems to have taken place while my system was down, but we’re back in good working order now.
Kamil Majchrzak beats Jacob Fearnley 7-6(2) 7-5 3-6 7-6(3)
Fearnley will be sick to have lost this, having led 3-0 in the fourth, but Majchrzak moves on to face Maroszan.
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Aaarggh my computer crashed but we’re back now. Majchrzak and Fearnley have swapped holds, so the latter trails 2-1 but leads 6-5; we’re getting to the point.
Andreeva and Vekic are out on Court…
Back with Fearnley, he holds for 6-5 in the fourth; can Majchrzak serve out for a breaker, or will scoreboard pressure get to him?
In the ANZ Arena, Shapovalov has taken the second set to lead Bu 6-3 7-6(3) 1-0, and if he’s in nick, he’s good enough to go deep in a major, though probably not here – he’d face Sinner in the last eight, should he make it that far. But otherwise, his lefty power-game is dangerous, if he can put it all together.
On telly, Mac’s talking about Anisimova, whose time is surely coming. She was close to a major last year and if she continues improving – perhaps even if she doesn’t – one will surely be hers soon. Her backhand is one of the best shots in the game, she’s working out how to win big matches, and her easy power is an absolute joy.
I guess I’m going to watch Fearnley, who’s been broken back in set three but leads Majchrzak 4-3, while trailing 2-1; then, when Yuan v Swiatek and Vekic v Andreeva start in 10 minutes or so, them; and, perhaps Lehecka v Gea.
Stan Wawrinka beats Laslo Djere 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-6(4)
The oldest wild-card entrant in Aussie open history – and 2014 champ – justifies his presence in a draw that is blessed to have him. Next for Stanimal: Lehecka or Gea.
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Preamble
G’day and welcome to the Australian Open 2026 – day two!
It’s been fairly regulation gear so far this session – Emma Navarro and Sofia Kenin have gone, beaten by Magda Linette and Peyton Sterns respectively, while Felix Auger-Aliassime retired against Nuno Borges and Learner Tien sneaked by Marcus Giron. Otherwise. though, it’s been swift victories for our main faces, with Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Victoria Mboko, Andrey Rublev and Amanada Anisimova all moving on in straights.
However, here are howevers, most particularly the wonderful Stan Wawrinka, who we must enjoy while we still can and who leads Laslo Djere by two sets to one, while Jacob Fearnley is on the comeback trails, down 2-1 against Kamil Majchrzak but up a break in set for. And to come in the evening session, we’ll be enjoying Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic – who may find Pedro Martínez tricky – while Donna Vekic can be good enough to trouble Mirra Andreeva, likewise Mattia Bellucci against Casper Ruud.
Otherwise, Denis Shapovalov is on court, leading Yunchaokete Bu by a set; Paula Badosa is also up a set; and to come, among others, are Alexei Popyrin, Jiri Lehecka, Elise Mertens and Barbora Krejcikova v Diana Shnaider.
Let’s hit the road, mate!
