Curtain up for the Australian Open: the tennis stars have been fighting for the first Grand Slam title of the new year in Melbourne since Sunday. We'll keep you up to date in our ticker.
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Bencic experiences bitter disappointment
Belinda Bencic surprisingly drops out of the Australian Open in the 2nd round. The 28-year-old from eastern Switzerland was defeated 3:6, 6:0, 4:6 by Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.
The defeat against the world number 126, who is playing her first Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, is a bitter setback for Bencic. She had started the year excellently, winning all of her first six singles matches.
The world number ten struggled against the 1.83 m tall teenager from Prague right from the start. Even winning the second set 6:0 did not give her any peace on the outdoor court lined with loud spectators. In the deciding set, Bencic managed to come back from a break down twice - at 2:2 and 4:4 - but at 5:4, the young Czech served out to nil.
Bartunkova had already put away a 0:6 second set loss against the higher-ranked Australian Daria Kasatkina with apparent ease in the first round. Nevertheless, this defeat comes out of nowhere for Bencic after she had started the year so strongly - with five victories at the United Cup and success in the first round.
However, it is also the second Grand Slam tournament in a row after the US Open last August where she has already failed in the second round against an outsider who plays with pressure and ease.
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Wawrinka wins five-set thriller and advances to round 3
In Melbourne, Stan Wawrinka once again delivers a true example of what has characterized him throughout his career. After a good four-and-a-half hours, he keeps the upper hand against Grand Slam debutant Arthur Géa (ATP 198), 19 years his junior, in the final match tiebreak.
In the end, Wawrinka even looked fresher than the Frenchman from the south of France. The latter played more than three sets in a match for the first time, Wawrinka his 58th (!) five-setter, of which he won 31. The match was already on a knife-edge in the fourth set. Wawrinka gave up a 3:0 lead, but then survived a difficult phase and finally got the break and equalized the set thanks to a brilliant backhand passing shot.
Wawrinka also led 2-0 in the deciding set, but had to let Géa close the gap again. However, the 21-year-old Frenchman then struggled with cramps in the tie-break, while the three-time Grand Slam champion held his nerve.
He is now the oldest player to reach the third round of a major tournament since Ken Rosewall did so at the Australian Open in 1978 as a 44-year-old. In the first set, the three-time Grand Slam champion quickly fell behind 1:3 after a nervous start and was unable to make up for this handicap, partly because he failed to capitalize on three break chances.
In the second set, he turned the tide by taking the young Frenchman's serve for the first time at 3:1. The third set was also decided by a single break, which came out of the blue against Wawrinka at 3:5.
Arthur Géa's strong performance, on the other hand, did not come as a complete surprise. He had won a Challenger tournament in New Caledonia in preparation and came through qualifying and the first round against world number 19 Jiri Lehecka without dropping a set.
Wawrinka will continue on Saturday in the 3rd round against world number 9 Taylor Fritz (USA). The Frenchman has won two out of three matches against the American, but lost the last one - almost three years ago in Monte Carlo on clay.
This is how the match went:
1st set: Warinka concedes a break in his second service game. After that, the set was evenly poised. At 4:3 for Géa, Wawrinka has three break points but can't convert any of them. In the end, the first set goes to the Frenchman 6:4.
2nd set: Now it's Wawrinka who makes the service break early on. He takes a 3:1 lead and is able to hold his own serve confidently time after time. He equalizes the set at 6:3.
3rd set: The third set is evenly balanced for a long time - with a slight advantage for Géa. At 4:3 in the Frenchman's favor, Géa steps on the gas pedal and takes Wawrinka's serve. It's the only break in this set - Géa wins it 6:3, leaving Wawrinka with his back to the wall. Will he find his way back?
4th set: Wawrinka is far from admitting defeat here. At the start of the 4th set he gets the break. Shortly afterwards, however, he has to give up the serve himself. It's even for a long time, but then Stan prevails - 7:5 for Wawrinka. It comes down to the deciding set.
5th set: Wawrinka gets off to a flying start again and leads with a break early on. But his opponent doesn't let up and manages to break back. The deciding set is evenly poised. There are no more breaks until the score is 6:6. The match tie-break has to decide. And the Swiss player retains the upper hand and clearly wins 10:3.
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Sinner continues in slow gear
At 38, Djokovic is no longer the top favorite to win the tournament - it would be his 25th Grand Slam title. Even after his second match, defending champion Jannik Sinner remains the favorite. The Italian made short work of Australian James Duckworth (ATP 88), winning 6:1, 6:4, 6:2. In his first two matches, he only conceded a total of ten games. Four fewer than Djokovic, although he benefited from Hugo Gaston's retirement at the start of the third set in the opening round.
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Swiatek with improvement
Iga Swiatek improved on her somewhat mixed performance in the first round. The Polish player, who could complete her career Grand Slam with her first win in Australia, won 6:2, 6:3 against Marie Bouzkova (WTA 44).
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Djokovic on the brink of 400th Grand Slam victory
Following his victory against Maestrelli, Djokovic can become the first player - man or woman - in history to win 400 Grand Slam tournaments with a win against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp (ATP 75) in the 3rd round on Saturday. For comparison: Roger Federer retired having won 369 matches at majors. At the Australian Open, Djokovic is one behind Federer with 101 wins. Still.
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Djokovic and Keys progress without any trouble
Novak Djokovic is through to the third round. The record Grand Slam champion won 6:3, 6:2, 6:2 against the Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli and was never seriously challenged. The 38-year-old, who has already won the first highlight tournament of the tennis season ten times, only needed 2:15 hours for his success in the Rod Laver Arena.
The defending women's champion Madison Keys also progressed easily. The 30-year-old American beat her compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6:1, 7:5. Keys had surprisingly beaten Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final and celebrated her first Grand Slam title.
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Alcaraz as ball boy for Rublev
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Alex de Minaur with the point of the day
Alex de Minaur loses the opening set against Hamad Međedović in a tie-break before the Australian turns up the heat and clearly wins the next three sets. The world number 6 also managed the feat of playing the ball around the net into the court.
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Fokina the man for five-setters
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had to go the full distance in the 2nd round against Reilly Opelka before his victory was secured. According to an analysis by tennis expert Luca Brancher, it was the 18th time in his 54th Grand Slam tournament that he had to go five sets.
The rate of 33.3 percent is the highest among all players with at least 50 major matches.
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Zverev progresses in four sets
Alexander Zverev is through to the third round. Last year's finalist won his second round match against Frenchman Alexandre Müller 6:3, 4:6, 6:3, 6:4, defying a lengthy rain interruption.
After 3:04 hours, the 28-year-old converted his third match point in the John Cain Arena. Zverev will now face Britain's Cameron Norrie in the battle for a place in the round of 16 on Friday.
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Alcaraz raves about Federer's golf skills
After making it through to the third round, Carlos Alcaraz is in high spirits in the court interview and also talks about playing golf with Roger Federer. "I was lucky enough to play with Roger," explains the 22-year-old and describes Federer's golf skills as follows: "It's just as beautiful as his tennis. Whatever Roger does, it looks beautiful."
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Alcaraz only briefly in trouble
Carlos Alcaraz was put under pressure for one set by German Yannick Hanfmann, once a finalist in Gstaad. The 34-year-old Hanfmann from Karlsruhe led by a break in the first set; at 5:4, he was just two points short of winning the set. After 78 minutes, however, Alcaraz took the first set in a tie-break, and after two hours and 44 minutes his 7:6 (7:4), 6:3, 6:2 victory was secured.
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Sabalenka in the footsteps of Graf, Hingis and Williams
Aryna Sabalenka, the women's No. 1, remained unchallenged in her 6:3, 6:1 win over Bai Zhuoxuan (CHN), although the qualifier won three games in a row in the first set (from 0:5 to 3:5). Sabalenka won 45 of her last 50 sets at the Australian Open. Only Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and Serena Williams were as dominant at the "Happy Slam" in Australia.
"Somehow it sounds surreal to be mentioned together with these greats," says Sabalenka. "I would never have expected to be in their league. And I realize that Graf, Hingis, Seles and Serena have all won a lot more than me."
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Cinematic appearance: tennis star Osaka is a real eye-catcher
Japan's tennis star Naomi Osaka made a cinematic appearance at the Australian Open with an extravagant outfit. The 28-year-old entered the Rod Laver Arena for her first round match against Croatia's Antonia Ruzic wearing a long white veil attached to a white hat. The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner also wore a white leg dress and held a white umbrella in her hand.
"A LEGENDARY run-in," wrote the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) on the X platform, adding a fire emoji to the post. The astonished spectators greeted Osaka with huge cheers. Her turquoise-colored match dress was also an eye-catcher - even if it was nowhere near as spectacular as her run-in outfit.
"These are pictures for the media, of course. When she came onto the court, that's iconic," said tennis legend Boris Becker on Eurosport: "No player has ever dared to do that. She has dared to do a lot of things."
Osaka is known for her extravagant clothing on the tennis court. She often mixes sports and fashion elements in her outfits, which are often inspired by pop culture. At last year's US Open, she wowed the crowd with flashing, colorful plush toy figures that always matched her outfit. She also wore red, sparkling roses as jewelry in her ponytail.
Loves the big show: Naomi Osaka
Image: dpa
THE eye-catcher of the first round at the Australian Open: Naomi Osaka
Image: dpa
Naomi Osaka during the warm-up.
Image: dpa
Her match outfit was also fashionable.
Image: dpa
Cinematic appearance: tennis star Osaka is a real eye-catcher - Gallery
Loves the big show: Naomi Osaka
Image: dpa
THE eye-catcher of the first round at the Australian Open: Naomi Osaka
Image: dpa
Naomi Osaka during the warm-up.
Image: dpa
Her match outfit was also fashionable.
Image: dpa
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Bencic beats Boulter after a lightning start
After Stan Wawrinka, Belinda Bencic also reaches the 2nd round at the Australian Open. The player from eastern Switzerland showed her confidence in her 6-0, 7-5 victory over Katie Boulter.
The world number 10 Bencic only had to give up her serve once against the Briton Boulter (WTA 113) and also kept control at all times in the tight second set. The 2021 Olympic champion and young mother remains unbeaten after six matches this year.
After a completely one-sided opening set, Boulter, who was still ranked 23rd in the world a year ago, got much better into the match. At 4:4, she managed the only break against Bencic's serve. However, the 28-year-old from eastern Switzerland did not let herself get off track. After another break to make it 6:5, she then served confidently to win - after less than an hour and a half.
Bencic has gone the opposite way to Boulter, the fiancée of Australian top ten star Alex de Minaur, in the world rankings. A year ago, at the first Grand Slam tournament after the birth of her daughter Bella, the Swiss was still number 294 in the WTA rankings.
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Golubic eliminated in three sets
Viktorija Golubic fails in the first round of the Australian Open. The 33-year-old from Zurich was defeated 1:6, 6:2, 1:6 by Varvara Gracheva from France.
Golubic (WTA 83) and Gracheva (WTA 77), who are ranked close to each other in the world rankings, fought a back-and-forth duel around lunchtime. In the end, however, the Russian-born player came out on top in just under three and a quarter hours.
Golubic missed the start completely in the summer temperatures and lost the first five games. The second set was evenly poised until 2:2, before the Swiss player won four games in a row. But then the thread suddenly broke again. In the deciding set, she had to concede her first service game in a long match and ultimately failed to win a game on her own service.
![Unsuccessful start to the year: Viktorija Golubic fails in the opening round of the Australian Open]()
Unsuccessful start to the year: Viktorija Golubic fails in the opening round of the Australian Open KeystoneGracheva was rewarded for her riskier game and won for the third time in the fourth duel between the two - for the third time in three sets. The Frenchwoman, who is eight years younger, hit twice as many winners (40:20) as Golubic and thus made up for the significantly higher number of unforced errors (35:23).
The trip Down Under thus ended in disappointment for the Swiss player. She had lost in the first round of qualifying at the only preparatory tournament in Hobart. Last year, she had reached the 3rd round of the Australian Open for the first time at the eighth attempt, now she failed to make the starting line-up for the eighth time.
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Keys turns things around
Last year's winner Madison Keys had problems at the start in her first appearance at this year's Australian Open, but still reached the 2nd round.
Madison Keys was trailing 0:4 against Ukraine's Alexandra Olinikova before she prevailed 7:6 (8:6), 6:1 after exactly 100 minutes. In the tiebreak, the world number nine from the USA had to overcome another tricky moment against the number 92 in the rankings. She won the short decision after fending off two set points.
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Drama surrounding Auger-Aliassime
A drama unfolded on the second-largest court in the Melbourne Arena on Monday. Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 8 in the world after a strong end to last season, had to throw in the towel after losing the third set against Portuguese Nuno Borges (ATP 46) - due to cramps. "I've never experienced that before," explained the perplexed two-time winner of the Swiss Indoors. It is very hot in Australia at the start of the tournament.
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Great emotions for Wawrinka
After his opening win against Laslo Djere, Stan Wawrinka fights back tears on the court in the winner's interview. "It's been a long journey. It was wonderful, I have so many memories here," said the Swiss and thanked the fans: "The only reason I come back here is the love you give me. It was wonderful, thank you very much!"
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Djokovic gives Pedro Martinez no chance
Novak Djokovic started the tournament with a commanding victory. The Serb dominated the action against Pedro Martinez from Spain right from the start and moved into the second round without any problems thanks to a 6:3, 6:2 and 6:2 victory. Djokovic then meets Italian Francesco Maestrelli.
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Wawrinka turns the match around against Djere and advances to round 2
Stan Wawrinka reaches the second round of his 20th and final Australian Open for the first time in five years. The Vaud native won 5:7, 6:3, 6:4, 7:6 (7:4) against the Serbian Laslo Djere.
The 40-year-old, who will end his career at the end of the year, was clearly the better player after losing the opening set in annoying fashion and prevailed in 3:20 hours. He had lost in the first round in Melbourne in each of the last three years and was injured in 2022.
Thanks to a solid tiebreak, Wawrinka managed to avoid a fifth set after losing over the maximum distance in 2023 and 2024 and 7:5 in the fourth set a year ago. The 2014 champion already had a set point in the first set, which he was unable to capitalize on. He then reduced the risk - and the error rate - a little and was rewarded for it.
As he served well, even if the first service did not come as often as he had hoped (only 50 percent), a break was enough in both the second and third rounds. In the fourth set, he failed to take his first chances and fell behind 2:4 at one point. In general, his percentage of break points was abysmal - he only managed to convert three out of eighteen. Wawrinka thus made life more difficult for himself than necessary, but in the end also proved to be physically strong and stable. This also pleased the 5000 fans on the fourth largest court in Melbourne Park.
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Anniversary victory for Gauff
Coco Gauff had little trouble with her first hurdle. The American number three seed won 6:2, 6:3 against the Russian Kamila Rakhimova (WTA 93), who is now playing for Uzbekistan, and celebrated her 75th victory at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments at the age of 21. Gauff, who changed her serve, was also able to afford seven double faults.
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Waltert without a chance against Anisimova
The Swiss tennis player Simona Waltert WTA 87)) has no chance in the first round of the Australian Open. The player from Graubünden was defeated 3:6, 2:6 by world number 4 Amanda Anisimova.
After qualifying once each for the French Open and Wimbledon, Simona Waltert reached the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in Melbourne. She was not lucky there. Anisimova was one size too big and never got into trouble in exactly one hour.
Waltert got off to a nervous start on the second-largest court at Melbourne Park and had to concede a break straight away, but was able to level the match at 2:2. However, she was unable to make up for a second loss of serve.
Waltert generally had great difficulty with Anisimova's strong serve. The break chance she took early in the first set remained her only one. In the second, she again fell behind from the first game, and a second break by last year's Wimbledon and US Open finalist to make it 1:4 was more than a preliminary decision.
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Djokovic with a challenge
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Federer makes the crowd in Melbourne go wild
Roger Federer is back in the limelight. At a show match at the start of the Australian Open, the maestro wowed the crowd together with other tennis legends. One rally in particular stands out.
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Expert Heinz Günthardt has this youngster on his list for 2026
Who will win the Grand Slams? Where is the potential of the Swiss and which youngsters could upset the big boys? Heinz Günthardt dares to take a look into the crystal ball for blue Sport.
