Coco Gauff remains on semi-final collision course with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka but she dropped her first set of the year at the Australian Open overnight.
The world No.1 Sabalenka also refused to back a Tennis legend’s criticism of scheduling of women’s matches.
And Alex de Minaur – the last Aussie left in the singles – has been backed to reach the quarter-finals in his home Grand Slam for the first time.
An Aussie doubles star has given an update on her injury after getting hit in the eye.
Coco digs deep
The world No.3 extended her winning streak in 2025 to nine matches but she dropped her first set of the year against Belinda Bencic before recovering to win 5-7 6-2 6-1. Gauff, 20, has now won eight of nine matches in Grand Slam that have gone to three sets.
The American said: “It was not so long ago I had a bad stat for that. And my dad said: ‘You gotta get some fight in you’. I think about that now and dig a little deeper. I leave eveything that I can. We have a saying in our team: ‘Give the best of yourself out there.”
Still only 20, she will play her eighth Grand Slam quarter-final against No.11 seed Paula Badosa.
No solidarity sisters
Australian and US Open winner Sabalenka, 26, became the youngest woman to win 18 consecutive Grand Slam matches on hard courts since Serena Williams in 2004. She needed only 62 minutes to dismiss No.14 seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1 6-2.
Donna Vekic’s coach Pam Shriver criticised today’s programme where both Sabalenka and Gauff played the first two matches in the Rod Laver Arena before Carlos Alcaraz against Jack Draper.
The five-time Wimbled champion posted on social media: “What is going on with AO [Australian Open] scheduling? Is it a race to get women’s matches out of the way as early as possible on all courts?”
But Sabalenka responded: “I don’t know. The first day I played 7:00 p.m. Like I think yesterday was 7:00 p.m. girls matches. I’m not sure about that. I mean, so far I’m happy with the scheduling. I cannot relate to this.”
She will face Russian No.27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the next round.
-“Puffy” Perez
Aussie doubles player Ellen Perez has issued an update after getting hit in the right eye by a ball during her defeat in the women’s doubles m,on Saturday afternoon.
The world No.13 posted to her Instagram story: “It is a little bit puff, a little bit purple and very ugly.”
Rafter is back
Pat Rafter, the two-time US Open champion, was today announced as the new vice-captain of Team World for September’s Laver Cup in San Franciso.
But the 2000 Wimbledon finalist was inevitably asked about the current Aussie No.1 Alex de Minaur who faces American world No.41 Alex Michelsen on Monday.
Rafter said: “I back him against Michelsen. I know Michelsen has a really big game. Can he keep it up together against someone like Alex? I think it’s a bad matchup for Michelsen personally, but this guy has a really big game. If he can keep it together, Michelsen can cause a lot of destruction. But I like Alex there.”
The Aussie holds a 16-0 record against players ranked lower than him at Melbourne Park.
Poor Daniil Medvedev
The Russian smashed a camera on the net in the first round and misbehaved in the second – and has now got to see the damage in fines.
The three-time finalist here has been hit with A$16,000 (£8,137) fine for breaking the camera – and will also be charged to replace it – and a further A$106,000 for threatening a line judge after he was twice foot-faulted during his five-set loss to teen American qualifier Learner Tien in the second round.
He also refused to attend his post-match press conference. He had earned A$200,000 for reaching the second round.
Swiss
Related News :