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I’ll be focusing on the daytime matches for now, ahead of a jam-packed evening session which features Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka.
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A selection of the first round singles matches we’ll be paying close attention to during the day session include:
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11:00am: Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) v Alex Michelsen
\n 11:30am: Coco Gauff (3) v Sofia Kenin
\n 1:30pm: Iga Swiatek (2) v Katerina Siniakova
\n 2:00pm: Jannik Sinner (1) v Nicolas Jarry
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Other names to keep an eye out for include a stack of home hopes: Ajla Tomljanovic, Jordan Thompson, Talia Gibson, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Christopher O’Connell, Destanee Aiava, James McCabe, Tristan Schoolkate, and Aleksandar Vukic.
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While plenty of other interesting seeded players get their tournaments underway, including American challengers Tommy Paul (12) and Frances Tiafoe (17), rising British contender Jack Draper (15), and former champion Victoria Azarenka (21).
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There are also a couple of intriguing match-ups featuring unseeded players with serious CVs, specifically Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic v 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko, and Italian veteran Fabio Fognini v 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov.
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It’s going to be a job keeping up with it all, so feel free to nudge me in the direction of something interesting as it unfolds. The address is jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com for all correspondence.
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Hopefully today’s action is an improvement on yesterday’s thin gruel. Day one patrons were not favoured either by the schedulers or the weather, with little of note occurring inside the major arenas and six hours of play lost to wild storms on the outside courts.
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main events
coco gauff The lead expanded to 5-2. Sofia Kenin Before I hit the strap yet. The third seed's number of double faults increased to six in just four service games.
Francis Tiafoe Set and break break in the match with (17) arthur linder neck. The American player has made zero unforced errors so far.
Another multi-deuce service game coco gauff But this time it will be Sofia Kenin's method. Already with an average of 7 minutes per game, we returned to serving in RLA. Gauff had a shaky opening with five aces and four double faults. Kenin just keeps the ball in play and is showing the resilience from the baseline that became her trademark five years ago.
20 year old american Alex Michelsen Won the first set against the 12th seed Stefanos Tsitsipasbroke Greek serve in the 12th game. It would not be surprising if the 2023 finalist becomes the first major casualty of this tournament.
It took coco gauff In the first game against her, it took 8 minutes and 5 deuces to hold serve. Sofia Kenin. As for RLA, it could be a long battle.
british Jody Barrage won the first set against France's Léoria Jean-Jean 6-2. The winner of this matchup will face Gauff or Kenin in the second round.
3rd seed coco gauff entered Rod Laver Arena and geared up for a blockbuster first round matchup against the 2020 champions. Sofia Kenin. Gauff won all five matches without dropping a set at the recent United Cup in Perth, continuing her impressive run into 2024, capping it off with WTA Finals glory.
Gauff is in the quarters of the Aryna Sabalenka draw and has a tasty semi-final prospect heading into next weekend.
Stefanos Tsitsipas They reached the finals here in 2023 and reached the semifinals three times in the four years before that. Since then, his form has plummeted, plummeting from No. 3 to No. 12 in the world, with just two tournament wins in that time.
He will be at John Cain Arena this morning with the full support of Melbourne's large Greek community, but will be joined by 20-year-old rising star Alex Michelsen, who has risen from No. 601 to No. 41 in the world in just two years. Work has been suspended during the match. .
Currently serving in the opening set.
Coco Gauff takes about 15 minutes to act, He is at the forefront of the emerging young players in the U.S. Grand Slam contenders.
Since taking a much-publicized break with coach Brad Gilbert after a disappointing performance at the US Open (losing to No. 8 seed Emma Navarro in Australia), Gauff is now 18-2 since the US Open. This was an unusual result. With new coach Matt Daly, Gauff has ironed out many of her forehand and serve issues and is playing confident tennis. Additionally, the fact that Gauff is one of the fastest players on tour and has a very strong mindset makes her somewhat unfazed in bigger events.
Today's weather forecast is much more promising than yesterday. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s, hot and humid, but dry and should remain that way for most of the day. Isolated showers moving through with moderate southerly winds are unlikely to last long.
Fog and low clouds start the day in the south, but then warms up with a chance of showers or storms for much of the afternoon #vic Severe weather is possible in the east today. pic.twitter.com/sOOx7FQDLb
— Victoria Bureau of Meteorology (@BOM_Vic) January 12, 2025
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Fog and low clouds start the day in the south, but then warms up with a chance of showers or storms for much of the afternoon #vic Severe weather is possible in the east today. pic.twitter.com/sOOx7FQDLb
— Victoria Bureau of Meteorology (@BOM_Vic) January 12, 2025
The most interesting part of yesterday's play was the success of Hadi Habib, the first Lebanese tennis player to win a match at a Grand Slam. Tumaini Karayol There's more:
Mr. Habib's pioneering success is even more significant given that it occurred at the height of his country's war. The past year has been a period of unimaginable pain for many Lebanese. Israel's air strikes and ground invasion of Lebanon killed nearly 4,000 people, destroyed entire towns and villages, and forced them to flee for more than a year. Million people.
Habib's parents, other family and friends still live in Lebanon, and Habib has spent much of the past year glued to his cell phone every morning, trying to make sure his loved ones are okay. His success has become an unexpected source of inspiration for the Lebanese people. “This is a huge victory, especially considering what we've been through as a country,” he said. “We are thinking of bringing something positive, especially since we are going through a difficult time with the war. We have had other problems in the past. I'm really glad I did it.”
preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everyone. Welcome to our live coverage of the second day of play at the 2025 Australian Open. The match began at exactly 11am local time on the outdoor courts at Melbourne Park, with some of the sport's biggest stars welcoming some of the sport's biggest stars to the stadium courts from 11:30am.
For now, the focus will be on daytime matches ahead of a jam-packed evening session featuring Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Naomi Osaka.
Singles first-round matches to watch during the day session include:
11:00am: Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) v Alex Mikkelsen
11:30am: Coco Gauff (3) v Sofia Kenin
13:30: Iga Swiatek (2) v Katerina Sinakova
2pm: Jannik Sinner (1) v Nicholas Jarry
Other notable players include Ajla Tomjanovic, Jordan Thompson, Talia Gibson, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Christopher O'Connell, Destaney Aiava, James McCabe, Tristan Schoolkate, and Alexander. The list includes players who are expected to play at home, such as Vukic.
American challengers Tommy Paul (12) and Frances Tiafoe (17), British up-and-comer Jack Draper (15), former champion Victoria Azarenka (21) and many more. Interesting seeded players to start the tournament.
There are also some interesting matchups featuring unseeded players with serious backgrounds, such as Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic vs. 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko, and Italian veteran Fabio Fognini vs. 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov. There is.
It's a lot of work to keep up with it all, so I hope things go in some interesting directions as they unfold. The address for all correspondence is jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
I hope that today's actions will improve yesterday's thin porridge. The first day's attendance was hampered by scheduling and weather conditions, with little happening inside the main arena and six hours of play lost to a rainstorm on the outdoor courts.
