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Day 2 at the Australian Open has been a great day for the Aussies.
Qualifier Storm Hunter got things going with a straight sets win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, taking the match 6-4, 6-4.
Hunter had come from 0-3 down in the first set and she was facing a break point in game 4.
Several errors from the Spaniard in game 5 helped Hunter get the break back. A double fault from the Spaniard at 30-30 in the seventh game set up Hunter for a break point which she converted.
Hunter held serve twice more to claim the opening set.
The Australian world no. 367 broke her opponent in the opening game of the second set after a string of errors from the Spaniard.
The world no. 40 hit back straight away to level the scores at 1-1 before racing out to a 4-1 lead.
Bouzas Maneiro had a break point in the sixth game to go out to a 5-1 advantage. Hunter had a lucky break at this point. A ball looked to be going wide, but clipped the net and fell in. Hunter then made the most of that luck and won the next five games.
This was the first win at a Grand Slam for Hunter since she reached the third round at the 2024 Australian Open.
Hunter was sidelined for 10 months after rupturing her Achilles tendon during practice at the Billie Jean King Cup in April 2024.
Priscilla Hon kept things perfect for the Australian women after she fought back from a set down to win 1-6, 6-4, 5-3 retired against Canada’s Marina Stakusic, a qualifier. The Canadian left the court in a wheelchair after suffering from cramps.
World no. 6 Alex de Minaur cruised past lucky loser MacKenzie McDonald, winning 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
de Minaur only offered one break point the entire match and he was able to break his opponent on six occasions.
Rinky Hijikata was another day two winner, he despatched the 37-year-old Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Jordan Thompson took his match against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo after losing the first set. The wildcard won 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
Ajla Tomljanovic was another Australian to have to comeback from a set down. She defeated Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, a qualifier. The final score was 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
It wasn’t so good for Emerson Jones and Aleksander Vukic, both losing in straight sets.
Jones lost to the 17th seed Victoria Mboko from Canada 6-4, 6-1. Vukic lost to Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
It was a disappointing end of the day with Alexei Popyrin going down in five sets against France’s Alexandre Muller 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(10-4).
Muller just refused to go away, he had to come from behind several times, including when down 5-2 in the fourth set tiebreak.
The match lasted just short of four hours.