The clash of styles and skills promised an exciting encounter, but ultimately, de Minaur found it challenging to close the gap against the reigning champion.

From the outset, Alcaraz showcased why he holds the top ranking in the world. His powerful serve and aggressive baseline play put de Minaur on the back foot, forcing him to scramble and defend against a barrage of well-placed shots.

Despite de Minaur’s reputation for his speed and tenacity on the court, he struggled to find his rhythm against Alcaraz’s relentless pressure.

The first set saw Alcaraz quickly establish dominance, breaking de Minaur’s serve early and maintaining control with his exceptional shot-making.

De Minaur, known for his fighting spirit, attempted to rally back, but Alcaraz’s precision and tactical prowess kept him at bay. The Spaniard’s ability to dictate the pace of the match left de Minaur with limited opportunities to capitalize on his strengths.

The first set saw Alcaraz break the Australian on three occasions, de Minaur had two breaks.

As the match progressed into the second set, de Minaur showed glimpses of his potential, displaying his trademark agility and determination. He managed to hold serve more consistently but could only earn one break point.

However, Alcaraz’s composure under pressure proved to be a decisive factor. Time and again, he responded with clutch serves and aggressive returns, thwarting de Minaur’s attempts to gain momentum.

The third set was a microcosm of the match as a whole. De Minaur fought valiantly, showcasing his resilience and skill, but Alcaraz’s relentless pursuit of victory was evident.

With each passing game, it became clear that while de Minaur had the talent to compete at the highest level, he was unable to bridge the gap against a player of Alcaraz’s caliber.

The Spaniard broke the Australian twice in the third set, with de Minaur earning just one break point opportunity.

In the end, Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious, securing his place in the semifinals with a straight-sets win. For de Minaur, the match served as a valuable learning experience, highlighting the areas he needs to improve to challenge the elite players consistently.

The final score was 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. Looking at the score it looks one-sided, but de Minaur was often in a game.

As he reflects on this encounter, there is no doubt that the Australian crowd will continue to rally behind their homegrown talent, eager to see him rise to new heights in future tournaments.

While de Minaur may not have closed the gap this time, his journey in the world of tennis is far from over. With determination and hard work, he has the potential to become a formidable force on the ATP tour, and fans will be eagerly watching his progress in the seasons to come.

Visit the Australian Open Tennis match centre.

Also see – de Minaur marches into quarterfinals as Alcaraz awaits.

de Minaur cruises into fourth round.

The post de Minaur Can’t Close the Gap to Alcaraz in Australian Open Quarterfinals appeared first on robiciatennis.com.

Inglis went into the match as the world no. 168. She was match hardened after winning three qualifying matches and two match draw matches, but not she was in a whole new situation.

This was the big time on Rod Laver Arena, and in a night match.

From the outset, it was clear that Swiatek was in formidable form. The Polish star, known for her powerful groundstrokes and tactical prowess, quickly took control of the match. Inglis, despite her best efforts, struggled to find her rhythm against the relentless pressure applied by Swiatek.

The first set was a testament to Swiatek’s skill, as she raced to a 6-0 victory, leaving Inglis searching for answers.

Swiatek didn’t face a break point in a dominant first set. Inglis was broken on three occasions.

Maddison Inglis Opens Second Set With a Break

As the second set unfolded, Inglis showed resilience and determination, managing to find her footing and put up a fight.

She showcased glimpses of her talent, hitting some impressive shots, breaking Swiatek in the opening game and holding her serve more effectively towards the end of the second set.

However, Swiatek’s experience and composure shone through, allowing her to maintain the upper hand. The set concluded with a score of 6-3 in favor of the Polish star, sealing the match in straight sets.

While the result may not have been what Inglis had hoped for, her journey to the fourth round of the Australian Open is a significant achievement in itself.

Competing against one of the best players in the world is no small feat, and Inglis can take pride in her performance throughout the tournament.

As Iga Swiatek advances to the next round, she continues to solidify her status as a top contender for the title. For Maddison Inglis, this match serves as a valuable learning experience, and with her talent and determination, the future looks bright for the young Australian.

The Australian Open continues to deliver thrilling matches, and fans eagerly await the next chapter in this year’s tournament.

Inglis takes home AUD 480,000 and collected 280 rankings points. That takes her ranking up to world no. 113, just short of her career high of no. 112.

The Australian said the prizemoney will make a huge difference as she can better fund her tennis career.

“It’s um it’s a lot of money. It’s yeah, the most prize money I’ve ever received in one tournament. So yeah, it’s pretty pretty cool. And I’ll definitely use a lot of it to invest back into my tennis and, you know, have some people on the road with me to support me and make, you know, some weeks a bit easier with, you know, family or friends,” said Inglis at the press conference.

It has been an amazing journey for Maddison Inglis at the Australian Open.

View the Match Centre at the Australian Open website – Round 4 – Maddison Inglis v (2) Iga Swiatek.

Also read – Four Aussies qualify including love match
Maddison Inglis wins all-Australian battle and joins three other Aussies in round two

You can find old photos of Maddison Inglis at the Robicia Tennis Photography website.

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World no. 6 de Minaur outclassed world no. 10 Alexander Bublik taking the match 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.

Bublik had gone into the match on a seven game win streak, including collecting the ATP 250 title in Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong final, Bublik had defeated world no. 7 Lorenzo Musetti.

In the opening set it was Bublik that struggled to land first serves, serving at just 47%. de Minaur made the most of his break point opportunity in the 10th game to wrap up the set.

In the second set Bublik upped his first serve percentage to 81% and de Minaur’s dropped to 50% yet de Minaur won that set 6-1. The key was that de Minaur had just two unforced errors to 13 from Bublik.

de Minaur broke early in the second set to take a 2-0 lead. The Australian broke again in the 6th to lead 5-1 before serving out the set.

de Minuar upped his first serve percentage to 81% in the third set and he had just one unforced error.

Bublik was staight away in trouble in the third set after dropping serve to love. The Australian raced to 4-0 before Bublik got on the board, that would be the only game he would win.

Bublik wasn’t able to earn a single break point throughout the match.

It was 23 winners to 36 unforced errors for Bublik and de Minaur had 19 winners and just 10 unforced errors.

“Bublik is a hell of a player, he’s got so much firepower and I lost to him the last couple of times so I made sure I was ready to go from the first point till the last,” de Minaur told a packed arena afterwards.

“I was locked in. It was all about neutralising his big groundstrokes and trying to get him on the move, and it all kind of worked perfectly today.

“I was definitely thinking about the last two matches I played against him,” admitted the Aussie, who finished second-best when they played twice in Paris last year, at Roland-Garros and again at the Masters 1000 event later in the year. 

“The last two matches I’ve played I’ve hit the ball extremely well. I’m super pleased with my level, I feel like I’m doing everything I want on the court.”

The big test awaits de Minaur in the quarterfinals. He goes into his match against Alcaraz with a 0-5 record, including three losses in 2025. The most recent match was at the ATP Finals in the round robin. Alcaraz took the match 7-6(5), 6-2.

de Minaur will have the crowd behind him, but will it be enough?

Visit the Australian Open tennis match centre for this match between Alex de Minaur and Alexander Bublik.

Also read – de Minaur Can’t Close the Gap to Alcaraz in Australian Open Quarterfinals

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It didn’t come as expected. Naomi Osaka withdrew from her match that was scheduled for Rod Laver Arena, due to an abdominal strain.

Inglis will now play world no. 2 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.

The last Australian to play Swiatek was the top-ranked Australian female, Maya Joint. She was swept aside 6-1, 6-1 at the United Cup.

It would be a huge upset if Inglis can get past Swiatek, but you never know.

For reaching the fourth round, Inglis has earned 240 rankings points and $480,000.

If you look back at Inglis’ first round qualifying match she had to save two match points just to stay alive in the tournament. Now look what she has achieved.

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It 2025 de Minaur took it up a level when he reached the quarterfinals for the first time after missing out the previous three years, unfortunately he came across a red hot Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal.

In round three he faced two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe was also an Australian Open quarterfinalist back in 2019

de Minaur dominated the early stages of the match and appeared to be cruising to a comfortable win.

It was midway through the third set that Tiafoe finally got himself into the match when he won three straight games to get to 5-4. de Minaur would hold serve for 5-5 before breaking Tiafoe to take a 6-5 lead.

Tiafoe had one break back opportunity to stay in the match however Tiafoe netted a forehand.

An Ace down the T followed and it was match point for the third time. de Minaur forced an error and the match was done in straight sets.

“He just lifted it when he needed it. He started going big and started playing with some great depth, taking the racquet out of my hand. I just had to manage it, and it was quite stressful at the end but very relieved I got over the line,” said de Minaur.

The final score was 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

“In my brain, I don’t associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure,” he said. “I associate it with just excitement.

“Since I was a kid, this is where I wanted to be, playing in front of packed crowds. Yes, it gets stressful but only because I want it so bad. I’ll do my best.”

de Minaur next plays no. 10 seed Alexander Bublik.

Watch below for the highlights of the match between Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe in their third round match at the 2026 Australian Open.

Watch the Alex de Minaur on-court interview with Jim Courier

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Next up is Naomi Osaka, a two-time Australian Open champion.

Inglis has now won five matches, including three in qualifying. Today she defeated Laura Siegemund of Germany, the world no. 48.

Inglis got off to a dream start when she broke serve in the opening game.

That was short lived with the German hitting back straight away.

There was a third consecutive break with Inglis breaking to lead 2-1. Another break followed.

Siegemund finally held serve in the fifth game to lead 3-2. Inglis held for 3-3.

Inglis broke again in the 9th game and then served out the set to win 6-4.

In the second set Inglis was broken in the sixth game to fall behind 2-4. The German then held for a 5-2 advantage.

The Australian then won four games in a row to hold a 6-5 lead and serve for the match.

Siegemund started that game with a winner, followed by three unforced errors off of the racquet of Inglis. Eventually Siegemund would break to stay in the match and force a tiebreaker, one which she dominated to level the match.

The third set didn’t start well for the Australian as she was immediately broken. Siegemund consolidated the break to lead 2-0.

Siegemund serving for the match

Games were going with serve until Siegemund was serving at 5-4 for a spot in the third round.

The first point was won by the German after she played a nice short volley winner.

Inglis then stepped in and smacked back a good return of serve down the line, Siegemund couldn’t get it back.

The next point saw Siegemund play a drop shot off of a volley. Inglis being aware of the German having cut off previous shots at the net, looped the ball over the German, she raced back and hit a shot that just missed wide.

Inglis could now see an opening to get the break back that would keep her alive.

Siegemund had other ideas as she hit a winner on the next point. Pressure was building at 30-30.

Inglis sent the next return deep to the backhand corner and Siegemund wasn’t able to get much pace on the shot, the ball sat up in mid-court, Inglis approached the net and got to play a volley back at an angle. Siegemund retrieved the ball but left it high near the net and Inglis reached high to volley to the open court.

It was now break point with everything on the line.

With the crowd cheering her on, Inglis moved into position to receive serve. Inglis was hitting backhands to the Siegemund forehand, twice the German sliced back, on the third she sliced it wide, 5-5.

Inglis held and was in the lead at 6-5. The pressure was on Siegemund to hold serve and take it to a breaker.

The game was held, but on the last point Inglis stumbled a bit as she sprinted to a drop shot. After a slight limp to give the crowd a scare, she was fine.

Siegemund made too many unforced errors in the 10 point tiebreaker and Inglis held her nerve to claim a 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(10-7) victory.

An example of the poor play from Siegemund came at 5-2, she worked her way into an attacking position at the net and then pushed a slice forehand over the baseline.

After Inglis reached up to hit a high backhand volley into the open court on match point, Inglis fell to the ground as she took in the moment.

Osaka awaits…

Preston goes down fighting

The other Australian female playing on day 5 was Taylay Preston. She faced the no. 13 seed Linda Noskova from Czechia.

Noskova took the first set comfortably, 6-2. Preston hit back to take the second set 6-4. But in the end she could not maintain the level of play that was required to get the better of Noskova, the Czech claiming the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in one hour and 44 minutes.

I have been photographing tennis tournaments in Canberra since 2016. I had a look in the archives and found an interesting shot of Jason Kubler as he was cheering for Maddison Inglis all those years ago.

I looked up what match it was, Inglis was playing the Verena Meliss from Italy back in October, 2018.

Inglis was ranked at no. 395, Meliss at no. 609.

Inglis won 6-2, 6-4.

The post Inglis fights on into third round and is the last Aussie female still standing appeared first on robiciatennis.com.

Gibson had played brilliantly to secure the first set and found herself with a chance to close out the match in straight sets.

Gibson had come down from an early break in the second set to have the match points after recovering from 2-4.

The first break point was saved with an Ace down the T, the ball just touching the outer side of the centre line.

Gibson earned a match point when she reached for a ball that was in front of her, it fell short and Shnaider hit the ball into the net.

The Australian was in to the rally for the next match point but overplayed a wide backhand that she sent wide.

A well hit backhand that was behind Shnaider forced an error, another match point. Shnaider managed to force an error from the Australian and her forehand sailed wide. The next serve was pushed wide and Shnaider had advantage. Gibson lost control of a backhand and the game was gone.

Shnaider then broke before holding serve to send the game to a third set.

Gibson started the third set with a service hold despite facing two break points.

The wildcard broke Shnaider to take a 2-0 lead, but then Shnaider took control of the match. Gibson was at 40-15 in the 5th game but could not close it out. Shnaider would break.

Gibson kept herself in the game after winning the 7th game for 3-4 but Shnaider held serve and then broke to escape with a win.

Hunter humbled by Baptiste

After Storm Hunter’s great effort to reach the main draw from qualifying, and after claiming a first round victory, it all came crashing down after USA’s Hailey Baptiste convincingly defeated the Australian.

It was 6-2, 6-1.

Thompson finally claims a set against Borges, but he needed more

In the opening game world no. 111 Jordan Thompson was under pressure and saved a break point at 30-40 with a forehand winner against the world no. 46 Nuno Borges from Portugal.

Borges holds a 2-0 advantage in the head-to-head.

In the opening set games went with serve to send the set to a tiebreaker.

Thompson saved a set point at 5-6 in the opening set tiebreaker after a brilliant serve that landed short in the service box and went wide to evade Borges. Another Ace followed to give Thompson a set point. Borges answered with a good serve that Thompson could not return.

Thompson again was down a set point when he hit a return just over the baseline. He countered with attacking play that saw him take the point with a well hit backhand volley.

Another Ace and Thompson was up 9-8, it was the 9th Ace of the match for the Australian. A long rally followed, Thompson approached the net but was passed by Borges, the breaker would continue.

Borges hit long to give Thompson another set point at 10-9 with the Australian serving. Thompson came to the net and he would eventually smash to take the set.

Thompson had never won a set against Borges. The Portuguese player hit back, taking the second set 6-3.

A foot fault and then a serve sent long saw Thompson drop his service game to fall behind 2-1 in the third set.

Borges dominated the third set.

Thompson was looking on track to get back into the match when he jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set.

Borges had netted a shot to give Thompson a break point at 2-1. A backhand winner followed and Thompson was up 3-1. He held for 4-1 before Borges won the next five games to win the match.

The final score was 6-7(11), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Borges had again eliminated Thompson at the Australian Open in the second round after doing so in 2025, but in straight sets.

Tomljanovic no match for Ruse

Tomljanovic started serving against Ruse and was down a break point straight away. Ruse would return wide to take it to deuce.

After that first game test, the Australian held serve.

A double fault in the third game took Ruse to 15-30, then she played a great return deep to the corner, Tomljanovic failed to control the ball and it was two break points. Another double fault gifted the game to Ruse.

The single break was all that Ruse needed to claim the set.

The head-to-head was 1-1 going into this match. The players were ranked no. 78 and no. 79, with Tomljanovic the higher ranked player.

In the second set Tomljanovic broke Ruse in the fourth game and was leading 3-1. The Australian wasn’t able to consolidate the break and Ruse had it at 2-3 with her serve to follow.

Ruse would break again in the ninth game and then serve out the match to win 6-4, 6-4.

de Minaur shines again

World no. 6, Alex de Minaur was up against world no. 90 from Serbia Hamad Medjedovic in their round two match.

The opening set was decided in a tiebreaker after neither player could get a break of serve.

The Serbian had jumped to a 6-2 lead but he was not able to close out the set until he hit a winner to make it 7-5.

In the second set it was 2-2, from there the Australian ran off four straight games, but he did have to save a break point in the fifth game.

There was a rain delay and the roof was closed, but after that it was still all de Minaur. The Australian cruised to a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Hon no match for Jovic

Priscilla Hon followed de Minaur onto Rod Laver Arena. She was up against the no. 29 seed Iva Jovic from the USA.

Jovic is in good form after claiming the runnerup spot in Hobart last week.

The 18-year-old American broke Hon in the second game of the match. She would break again in the 6th game before serving out the set.

Hon was again under pressure in the first game of the second set, she saved a break point before taking the game with a forehand winner.

Jovic started game two with a double fault. At 30-30 Hon hit a backhand winner to earn a break point. Hon returned well and then hit a deep shot to the far right corner to force an error from Jovic. Suddenly it was 2-0 with Hon serving.

Jovic was ripping returns and with Hon choosing to charge the net she faced some dipping shots at her feet. Jovic had a break point at 30-40 but attacking play from Hon saved that.

Hon had game point after Jovic returned into the net, but then a double fault had it back at deuce.

A Hon error followed by a Jovic winner and games were back on serve.

Jovic would break again in the fifth game before holding serve to lead 4-2. Another break for Jovic came after the American hit the ball into the top of the net and it fell over on Hon’s side, it was unplayable.

Jovic raced to 40-0 in the 8th game and after a long rally the American hit a winner to claim a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

So at the end of the day it was just Alex de Minaur that managed to get a win.

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Australia’s top-ranked female Maya Joint lost to Tereza Valentova 6-4, 6-4. Joint is ranked at no. 31. Her opponent is at no. 54.

In a night match world no. 43 Daria Kasatkina lost an up and down match 7-6(7), 0-6, 6-3 to Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova, a qualifier.

World no. 168 Maddison Inglis on the other hand continued her run as a qualifier. Inglis faced her close friend Kimberly Birrell, the world no 76.

Other Australians that were in the winners circle included Taylah Preston, Dane Sweeny and James Duckworth.

Christopher O’Connell let a two sets to one lead slip away against qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy. The American taking the match 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3.

Basavareddy has already made a name for himself after a “choke” celebration when he had defeated Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in the round 2 qualifying. Ofner thought he had won the match after reaching 7-1.

From there Basavareddy won the next eight of the nine points to win the tiebreak 13-11. The American has really made the most of his opponents misfortune and is now into the second round at the Australian Open.

Preston powers past Zhang

Preston played fearless tennis against China’s Zhang Shuai to storm into the second round. The world no. 161 defeating the world no. 75 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

The pair had met a few weeks ago in Brisbane with Zhang coming out the winner. Preston said after her Australian Open win that she made a few adjustments to her game and came out the winner on a bigger stage.

“I think it makes it more special having done it here at home in Australia,” Preston said of her Grand Slam breakthrough. “It takes a lot of hard work, and I’ve been working really hard. So, it’s nice to see it somewhat pay off.”

Preston took her good form from Hobart into the match and was high on confidence. The Australian had reached the semifinals in Hobart.

“I think it makes it more special having done it here at home in Australia,” Preston said of her Grand Slam breakthrough. “It takes a lot of hard work, and I’ve been working really hard. So, it’s nice to see it somewhat pay off.”

Preston is now coached by Brett Hunter and the National Tennis Academy in Brisbane, with Ash Barty’s former coach, Craig Tyzzeer also providing some input.

Inglis gets the better of Birrell

Inglis faced Birrell for the 8th time in their head to head, with the higher ranked Birrell leading 5-2. They first met way back in 2015 in Brisbane with Birrell winning in three sets, and they faced each other twice in 2025 with Birrell coming out the winner on both occasions.

Inglis is on a good run at the Australian Open after getting through qualifying, including saving match points in her first round.

Against Birrell on John Cain Arena, it was Inglis that got off to the perfect start as she broke Birrell to love.

Inglis consolidated the break, almost to love, if not for a double fault at 40-0.

Birrell was looking shaky with error after error, some were forced due to good hitting from Inglis.

Birrell would hit back in the 8th game to level the score at 4-4.

The first set would be decided by a tiebreaker.

Inglis would get a mini-break to lead 3-1. The breaker would eventually see both players at 6-6 before a double fault from Birrell gifted Inglis a set point. The second serve was well beyond the service line.

Inglis served deep to the backhand side to force an error from Birrell and the set was hers.

It looked likely that Inglis was going to win the match in two sets after racing to a 5-2 lead with Birrell to serve.

Birrell held her nerve in the 8th game after Inglis went close to having a match point. Birrell would win four of the next five games to take the set to another tiebreaker.

Inglis held match point at 8-7 after another double fault from Birrell. Inglis could not convert but earned herself a second match point after a forehand down the line winner. Birrell hit a backhand winner to save that.

Birrell would close out the set to level it at a set a piece.

In the 9th game of the deciding set Birrell would start the game with a shot that she hit just wide. It was then Inglis that just missed a shot that would have been a winner. 15-15.

Inglis took advantage of a second serve and hit a winner down the line and move to 15-30. Another costly double fault brought up two break points, it needed just one and Inglis was serving for the match.

Inglis served out to love to claim her first main draw win in singles at the Australian Open.

The previous two Australian Open tournaments she had lost in the final round of qualifying.

Inglis was emotional when interviewed out on court as she felt for Birrell, but was also happy with her effort.

As tears flowed she said, “It feels amazing. It’s really hard to play such a good friend, the last few days have been a bit stressful.

“It was an amazing match with Kim. I absolutely adore her so it was really hard to see her on the other side. But I’m so stoked that I can play through those feelings, and being in the second round, it means the world.”  

Sweeny sends Monfils packing

Dane Sweeny had fought his way into the main draw as a qualifier. The tenacious world no. 181 faced the 39-year-old Gael Monfils who had signalled that this would be his last tournament at the Australian Open.

Monfils came into the tournament at no. 110, however was ranked at no. 69 entering 2026. He would drop 250 points just before the tournament after having won the Auckland ATP 250 title in January, 2025.

The first set saw no breaks, although Sweeny had to save several break points in the 11th game.

The veteran Frenchman would get the first mini-break on the first point and he would cruise to claim the breaker.

Monfils broke in the 8th game to lead 5-3 in the second set. You would have picked him to serve out the set, but Sweeny had other ideas.

On game point for Monfils it was Sweeny that went on the attack and he was rewarded when he found his way to the net to put away an easy volley. The crowd was now right behind the Aussie.

Another winner came for Sweeny after Monfils half volleyed a big return that popped up in the air, Sweeny smashed it away. An error from Monfils and it was back on serve.

Sweeny would hold and then break serve and hold again to claim the second set.

It was late in the second set where Monfils would now frequently bend over and feel his knee.

During the set break Monfils was having tape applied to his fingers.

The score would be 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5.

In the third set Sweeny broke his opponent in the third game after the Frenchman netted a backhand on the first point and then an attempted drop shot went wide. Two more errors from Monfils at the backend of the game delivered the break to Sweeny

The Frenchman was clearly hampered with his movement and Sweeny had to manage the situation and not overplay his shots.

Monfils would hit winners at times, but mostly it was Sweeny looking for the open court to win points.

The fourth set started with a long game with Monfils serving, he would hold. Sweeny then let Monfils back into the match when he dropped a service game for Monfils to lead 3-1.

The world no. 110 would hold serve and lead 4-1.

A key game was played with Monfils serving at 4-2. There were game point for Monfils but a costly error at 40-15 saw one gone. A big down the line winner from Sweeny got it to deuce.

Points would go back and forth before Sweeny claimed the break.

In the next game Sweeny had to save a break point before claiming the game to level the score at 4-4.

Monfils next won to love for 5-4. Sweeny matching that effort for 5-5.

In the 11th game Monfils hit a shot from right on the net well wide to gift Sweeny the opening point. A tired looking backhand from the Frenchman and his was down 0-30.

Sweeny would not clear the net to take the score to 15-30. Monfils blasted a forehand just wide and Sweeny was at 15-40. Monfils stayed in the game with some winners before back-to-back errors saw Sweeny at 6-5 and serving for his first ever main draw win at a grand slam.

A forehand hit well wide my Monfils gave Sweeny two match points. A weak return gave Sweeny an opening down the line and he hit the winner before falling to the ground.

The Frenchman was presented with a momento from tournament director Craig Tiley. Tiley pointed out that Monfils was one of six men to have played 20 Australian Opens. He first played in 2005 against Robby Ginepri.

Monfils lost a five set match against Matteo Berrettini in the 2022 quarterfinals and in four at the same stage in 2018, losing to Milos Raonic.

Monfils will finish his career with a 37-20 record at Melbourne Park.

“I’ve got a lot of great memories here. A couple of big battles. Quarters, fourth round, even today was almost four hours,” said the former No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “For Dane, you guys did an amazing job [supporting him]. I read his story. This kid got hurt, so I really wish [him] good luck for the next one, because he is playing very good. Good luck to him.

“I am very grateful. I’ve been very lucky to play here for many years, so lastly thank you very much, merci beaucoup, a bientot les amis (thank you very much, see you soon, friends).”

Duckworth wins in five

James Duckworth fought back from two sets down against lucky loser Dino Prizmic.

The final score was 7-6(4), 3-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, the match lasting four hours and 21 minutes.

There wasn’t a lot of love from Prizmic at the handshake.

Speaking in the press conference after the match Duckworth said, ” Um yeah, really really pumped, I was in a bit of trouble there to to one down, but yeah, really happy with with how I turned it around and yeah, excited to to be, you know, in the second round”.

Duckworth’s reward for his win is a match against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner, most likely to be played on Rod Laver Arena.

Unlike Alex de Minaur, Duckworth has a win against Sinner, he got the better of him at the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada, back in 2021. Sinner has improved a lot since then.

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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.

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Talia Gibson was the first player to claim a win at the 2026 edition. She raced to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Anna Blinkova.

In 2025 Blinkova also opened with a 1-6 set, back then it was Daria Saville. Blinkova was able to recover to win the match in three sets.

Gibson wasn’t letting that happen today. The Australian broke her opponent in the 1st, 5th and 7th games of the first set.

Blinkova looked to fight back in the second set and she held break point at 30-40 in the first game of set two. An Ace saved the game for Gibson.

Gibson broke in game two and consolidated the break to lead 3-0.

In the sixth game Blinkova had to fight off three break points before finally winning that game to trail 2-4.

Blinkova finally got a break of serve to make it 3-4 before Gibson again broke to lead 5-3.

When serving for the match Gibson hit four winners, but also had a double fault.

Tristan Schoolkate took on Corentin Moutet of France. It was the Frenchman who look more impressive through most of the match.

Schoolkate just was not taking his chances. He had a chance to get back on serve in the 10th game of the first set but could not convert a break point.

Moutet appeared to be cramping in the third set when leading 3-0. Schoolkate recoved to get back to 3-3. Moutet seemed to improve a bit and he managed to edge ahead 4-3 before breaking the Australian to love.

Moutet then served out the match to claim a 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-3 victory.

Jason Kubler took Frances Tiafoe to a tie-breaker in the opening set. It was Kubler that didn’t offer a break point in the set while having two break point opportunities.

Tiafoe was firing down the Aces including 12-3 in the second set. The American broke serve twice, but was also broken once himself.

Tiafoe raced away with the match, breaking Kubler twice in the second set to secure a comfortable 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2 win.

The final match of the night saw Adam Walton face the world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Rod Laver Arena.

Walton made Alcaraz work hard for the win. The Spaniard taking the match 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2 in a bit over two hours.

In the second set Walton had broken Alcaraz and was serving to take a 4-1 lead. An unforced error at 40-30 would prove costly. Alcaraz took the game and eventually the set was decided by a tie-breaker.

In the third set Alcaraz had worn down his oppenent and he cruised to victory.

So at the end of day 1 it was Gibson that provided the highlights, being the sole Australian to move onto round 2.

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