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52 minutes ago

Australian Open LIVE: Jack Draper wins five-set thriller as Jacob Fearnley also through

Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley are through to the third round on a dramatic day at the Australian Open

Jamie Braidwood
Wednesday 15 January 2025 20:57 GMT
Novak Djokovic practices for Australian Open 2025 with Andy Murray as coach

The Australian Open continues as Jack Draper came from behind to beat home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis in a five-set epic, joining Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in the third round.

British No 1 Draper silenced the home crowd as he performed a stunning escape to beat Kokkinakis in the longest match of the tournament so far. The Australian served for a place in the third round at the end of the fourth set but Draper stayed alive, winning 6-7 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 against a raucous crowd in the longest match of the 23-year-old’s career.

Meanwhile, Fearnley reached the third round on his Australian Open debut with a comeback victory over Arthur Cazaux. Fearnley dropped the first set after a rain delay but the Scot did not blink and came back to win 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3. His astonishing rise will continue when he plays the second seed Alexander Zverev for a place in the last-16.

Jodie Burrage gave World No 3 Coco Gauff a brief scare on Rod Laver Arena but fell to a straight-sets defeat. Burrage served to level the match but Gauff recovered to win the final four games of a 6-3 7-5 win.

Harriet Dart is also out after threatening an upset against Olympics runner-up and 18th seed Donna Vekic. Dart won the opening set but managed just two more games, as Vekic came from behind to win 4-6 6-0 6-2.

Follow all the latest action from Melbourne Park below:

52 minutes ago

Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng crashes out in second round

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka survived a first Australian Open test, but last year’s beaten finalist Qinwen Zheng suffered a shock second-round exit.

The Chinese star reached her first grand slam showpiece here last year before going on to win Olympic gold and establish herself as one of the best players in the world.

But she came unstuck against German Laura Siegemund, a 36-year-old better known for her prowess in doubles, going down 7-6 (3) 6-3.

“I think not much to say because I tried what I can do during this match,” said Zheng. “I feel maybe today is not my day. There’s a lot of details in the important points. I didn’t do the right choice.”

Sabalenka was also in trouble down 5-2 in the second set to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but the top seed extended her winning run at Melbourne Park to 16 matches with a 6-3 7-5 victory.

Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng crashes out in second round

Fifth seed Zheng was beaten by veteran Laura Siegemund while Aryna Sabalenka saw off Jessica Bouzas Maneiro

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 20:57
1 hour ago

‘Serve-bot’ Carlos Alcaraz storms to 81-minute win at Australian Open

After clubbing 14 aces in a whirlwind victory at the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz made no secret of his aspirations for his retooled serve.

“Am I a serve bot?” Alcaraz scribbled on a camera lens at Margaret Court Arena where he thrashed Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round.

Serving has been on the four-time grand slam champion’s mind at Melbourne Park after tweaking his motion in the off-season.

He was not thrilled with its performance in his first round win against Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko where he landed less than 60 per cent of his first serves and had six aces.

Wednesday’s figures were more encouraging for the meticulous Spaniard, who more than doubled the ace count and won 32 out of 36 points (89 per cent) on his first serve.

‘Serve-bot’ Carlos Alcaraz storms to 81-minute win at Australian Open

Alcaraz breezed past Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4 to reach the third round

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 19:56
2 hours ago

Naomi Osaka reveals motivation behind Karolina Muchova revenge: ‘I was so mad’

Naomi Osaka said she was enjoying a little bit of revenge against Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open, recalling how the Czech had ended her US Open campaign last year when she was sporting her “best outfit ever”.

Osaka, who fought back from a set down to beat the 20th seed 1-6 6-1 6-3 and reach the third round at Melbourne Park, turned heads at Flushing Meadows last August with a tennis dress featuring tiered ruffles and a giant white bow.

She only got to wear it as far as the second round in New York, however.

“She crushed me at the US Open when I had my best outfit ever,” four-time grand slam champion Osaka said as spectators at the Kia Arena burst into laughter.

“I was so disappointed. I was so mad, but this was my little revenge. It’s not a bad thing, revenge is competitive. But yeah, it means a lot. She’s one of the toughest opponents out there.”

Naomi Osaka reveals motivation behind Karolina Muchova revenge: ‘I was so mad’

Osaka came from a set down to beat Muchova, having lost the Czech in last year’s US Open

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 18:55
3 hours ago

Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer grand slam record with Australian Open win

Novak Djokovic continued to build into the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 victory over Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria in the second round, taking another step towards a 25th grand slam title.

For the top players, the first week of a major is all about finding a groove in the full heat of competition and Djokovic could not have wished for more from his first two opponents, both making their grand slam debuts.

On Monday, inspired American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy gave the 10-times Melbourne Park champion the runaround for the first hour of their first-round clash, and 21-year-old Faria presented another set of problems for Djokovic to solve.

Faria’s victory in the opening round was his first at tour level, while Djokovic moved out of a tie with Roger Federer to claim another record merely by taking to the court for his 430th grand slam match.

Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer grand slam record with Australian Open win

Djokovic moved out of a tie with Federer to claim another record by taking to the court for his 430th grand slam match

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 17:55
4 hours ago

Jodie Burrage puts up fight but exits to third seed Coco Gauff

Jodie Burrage took the fight to Coco Gauff before falling to a second-round loss at the Australian Open.

The 25-year-old Briton won only two games the last time the pair met on grass in 2023 but she threatened to take the game’s form player to a deciding set before going down 6-3 7-5.

Burrage missed most of last season with wrist and ankle injuries and vowed to enjoy the experience of playing on one of the biggest courts in the world.

Jodie Burrage puts up fight but exits Australian Open to third seed Coco Gauff

The Briton produced an impressive performance on Rod Laver Arena in a 6-3 7-5 defeat.

Eleanor Crooks15 January 2025 16:54
5 hours ago

Tomorrow's Australian Open order of play, latest results and full schedule

Emma Raducanu bids to make the Australian Open third round as she faces Amanda Anisimova, with Katie Boulter also in action.

Raducanu admitted her serve had a “mind of its own” during her opening win but the 22-year-old nevertheless claimed an impressive result against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

She now faces American Anisimova, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open and quarter-finals of Wimbledon before taking time away from tennis in 2023 for her mental health.

Later on, British No 1 Boulter takes on Veronika Kudermetova as she bids to reach the third round of the Australian Open for the first time. Boulter battled to a close win over Rebecca Marino in her first match.

Elsewhere, defending Australian Open champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are in action, with Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca looks to back up his stunning opening ninth seed Andrey Rublev.

Tomorrow's Australian Open order of play, latest results and full schedule

Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter bid to reach the third round of the grand slam

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 16:35
5 hours ago

Jack Draper proud of physical efforts during Australian Open

Jack Draper came into the Australian Open with concerns over his physical condition after missing a bulk of his pre-season with a hip injury, but the 15th seed has now survived two five-set matches in a row to reach the third round.

There was a notable improvement in Draper’s performance levels from his opening win over Marione Navone and although he believes there is more to come he is taking pride in how his body is holding up as he looks to build on last season’s run to the US Open semi-finals.

“It’s been really difficult in the last few years with question marks over long matches and backing up performances,” Draper said. “I wouldn’t say I’m playing my best tennis. Obviously I’ve had a tough preparation, but I’m proud of my mentality, my body and the way I competed.

“It’s a huge step forward. I’ve been working physically for a long time. As a young player, when you come into these big events, you have to deal with the media, the crowds. It was a bit too much for me at the start.

“I feel like, especially at the back end of last year, I built a lot of confidence in myself, a lot of belief. I think winning titles and making the semi-finals of the US Open, it gave me that security in my mind that I’m good enough and I’m doing the right things.

“It has given me calmness as well. Instead of carrying a lot on my shoulders, I feel a lot calmer. I feel a lot more relaxed.”

15 January 2025 15:52
6 hours ago

Jack Draper reveals abuse from Australian Open crowd

Jack Draper said the abuse he received during his thrilling five-set Australian Open comeback over home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis inspired him to raise his level as the British No 1 reached the third round of the grand slam for the first time.

Draper held his finger to his ear at several points during the 6-7 (3) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 victory, with chair umpire Marijana Veljovic struggling to contain the home fans and control the atmosphere.

Draper is likely to face a similar scenario when he plays Australian Aleksandar Vukic in the third round but the 23-year-old said that the hostile crowd gave him energy and made him play better.

“It was amazing,” Draper said. “Obviously an electric atmosphere. I was getting quite a lot of abuse from the crowd in between serves and at the back of the court, all that stuff.

“Sometimes you don’t want to rile them or give it back. But to be fair, it gave me energy doing that. There were times where I was down, then I came through a tough game. It gave me energy giving it back, give it a bit of an ear.

“They are saying stuff to me, some interesting things for sure. You can probably imagine. In between serves, the whistling, the talking. I mean, it’s all fun but when you’re about to serve, it’s really difficult. I have a thick skin. It’s fun.”

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 15:18
6 hours ago

Australian Open: Jakub Mensik on the arrival on the 'next gen'

Jakub Mensik on the arrival of the “next gen” at the Australian Open after the 19-year-old’s victory over three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud.

Mensik said the early success of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been an inspiration to the new players, born in the 2000s, who are starting to come through.

“All the young players which are playing here, even which are not here, they trying the best to reach the same level.

“For example, like Jannik and Carlos, they were still teenagers a few years ago. We can approach the same and go by their steps and try to reach the same level, compete against them.

“It's great that there is a new blood always. We can see that tennis is moving on. We can see different or new names on the tournaments.

“For the fans, for the tennis, for everything, it's really great. That's it. New blood is coming.”

(Getty Images)
Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 14:51
7 hours ago

Australian Open: Casper Ruud knocked out by Czech teenager Jakub Mensik

Casper Ruud, the sixth seed, became the latest big name to fall at the Australian Open following a breakthrough win from Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

It follows wins for Joao Fonseca over ninth seed Andrey Rublev and Alex Michelsen over 12th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, as the next generation arrives in Melbourne.

‘The game is different now’: Why the ‘90s kids’ are struggling at Australian Open

As a new generation emerges at the grand slams, others are in danger of being passed by

Jamie Braidwood15 January 2025 14:36

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