Key events
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
On which point there’s no Coco Gauff to apply brakes. I’m not surprised she lost to Paula Badosa, who’s been on the cusp of something for years and might have finally worked out how to control her colossal game. But expecting someone to dethrone the two-time defending champ in their first slam semi feels hopeful, especially given the way Sabalenka is playing. She’s never been more confident and it was the absence thereof that made her vulnerable previously; nowadays, she’s closer to impregnable.
Pavlyuchenkova hits long to cede 15-30, then Sabalenka shows the other side of her game, switching grip to chop a terrific drop that’s far too good; two break points. And she only needs one, a second serve sitting up and allowing her to neck a cuppa before punishing a backhand winner down the line. Sabalenka leads 3-1 in the first, and looks unstoppable.
A love-hold for Sabalenka although, on the final point of the game, Pavlyuchenkova gets after a second serve. In the event, her follow-up drops long, but I’d not be surprised if part of her plan was exactly that. The champ leads 2-1.
A love-hold for Pavlyuchenkova, who’ll feel much better for that. She’s more solid than spectacular, but she’s plenty of know-how and her aim will be, I imagine, to stick in points and encourage Sabalenka to overhit, changing angles and spins. We’re 1-1 in the first.
And she’s into stride immediately, booming serves and forehands taking her to 40-0 in no time at all, and though she then overhits, normal service is swiftly resumed and she closes out to 15 from there. She is devastating and the game has never seen anything like her.
Thanks Joey and hi everyone. We’re ready to get going on Laver, and what a dig this should be. Real talk, it’s hard to not to look upon our first match as an amuse-bouche, except no match featuring Aryna Sabalenka could ever be that.
As Sabalenka and Pavlyuchenkova make their way on to Rod Laver Arena, I’ll use that as my cue to put you in the very capable hands of Daniel Harris to take you through all the action.
I’ve been Joey Lynch and thank you ever so much for your company over the past few hours.
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka arrives to face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Photograph: Martin Keep/AFP/Getty Images We’re moments away from Aryna Sabalenka (1) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27) getting started on Rod Laver Arena, the two-time defending champion – in her first ever major as a top seed – hoping to continue a dominant run of form.
Not only has Sabalenka yet to drop a set in this tournament but, after winning the Australian and US Opens in 2024, she is the youngest player to win 18 consecutive grand slam matches on hard court since Serena Williams did so between 2002 and 2004. If she wins tonight, she will become the youngest to win 19 on the bounce since Martina Hingis went on an incredible run of 27 consecutive hard-court wins between the 1997 Australian and 1998 US Opens.
Bopanna and Zhang have cruised to the first set against Aussie pair Gadecki and Peers, taking out the first set 6-2 on Kia Arena.
Women’s wheelchair second seed Aniek Van Koot has taken the first set 6-1 against Zhenzhen Zhu, while fourth seed Jiske Griffioen took her first set against Mariska Venter 6-3. Out on Court Eight, Angelica Bernal beat Saki Takamuro 6-3 6-2 to advance from their first round women’s wheelchair clash.
Five of the 18 competitors to reach the quarter-finals of this year’s mens and women’s draws were from the United States, the most since 2003.
Coco Gauff’s (3) upset loss to Paula Badosa (11) and Alexander Zverev’s (2) win over Tommy Paul (12), however, means that things haven’t gotten off for the best start for the Americans in their attempts to dominate the ranks of the final four.
We’ll have to wait until tomorrow – when Ben Shelton (21) faces unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego, Madison Keys (19) meets Elina Svitolina (28), and Emma Navarro (8) looks to upstage Iga Swiatek (2) – to see if their fortunes improve.
Currently in action on Kia Arena, you may remember Rohan Bopanna from last year’s Australian Open, where he and partner Matthew Ebden won the men’s double and, in the process, the 43-year-old Indian became the oldest man in the Open era to win a major men’s title.
Now 44, he and partner Nicolás Barrientos were eliminated in the first round of men’s doubles by Pedro Martínez and Jaume Munar last week but he’s now into the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles with partner Shuai Zhang.
And I gotta say, the silver in his beard makes him look like an absolute don.
If you’re hanging around waiting for the singles action to commence on Rod Laver Arena, I can heartily reccomend this from Tumaini Carayol to help you pass the time.
In the aftermath of a strong comeback win that put her into the 12th grand slam quarter-final of her career, Elina Svitolina left Rod Laver Arena fully aware that her most difficult task of the day was still to come. She warmed down, showered, completed her media obligations and ate her post‑match meal, then returned to the courts as a spectator, sitting in the front row of the courtside coaching boxes on Margaret Court to cheer on her husband, Gaël Monfils, in his own fourth‑round match against Ben Shelton.
Looking out at the live action in Melbourne, the second seeded mixed doubles pair Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus have lost an opening set tie break on Margaret Court Arena and trail the eighth seeded duo of Andres Molteni and Asia Muhammad.
Women’s wheelchair fourth seed Jiske Griffioen is up an early break on South African qualifier Mariska Venter in their opening round match on Court Five, with second seed Aniek Van Koot soon to begin her match against Zhenzhen Zhu.
For the locals, the Aussie duo of Olivia Gadecki and John Peers are about to start their mixed doubles clash with China’s Shuai Zhang and Indian Rohan Bopanna.
In some of the other recently concluded matches, women’s wheelchair top seed Yui Kamiji hasn’t dropped a game on her way past Shiori Funamizu in their opening round match, while third seed Ziying Wang has advanced past French qualifier Charlotte Fairbank in straight sets.
In the men’s wheelchair singles, second seed Alfie Hewett has eased past Frenchman Stephane Houdet in their opening round clash.
Still plenty to come on Day 10 of the Australian Open, with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka next up on Rod Laver Arena, looking to continue her dominant run against 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
After that, we’ll have a showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Alexander Zverev (2) defeats Tommy Paul (12) 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-0) 2-6 6-1 Zverev brings up another match point but, incredibly, Paul stays alive again, busting a gut and playing some remarkable defence to keep the point alive before the second seed sends a shot long. It eventually goes to deuce as the American pushed for a miracle but Zverev will not be denied, seeing the game off and setting up a meeting with either Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
For Paul, there’s going to be a somewhat bitter aftertaste to this one. He was in a position to serve out the first and second sets, only for Zverev to work his way back into both and force a tiebreak. And once in those, unforced errors cost the American as was hardly able to lay a glove on his opponent; losing both by a combined score of 14-1.
“I should have been down two sets to love,” Zverev admits on court, saying that Paul had his number in the opening sets.
Regardless, Zverev has survived #FeatherGate and is now just two wins away from a first ever grand slam win.
Zverev gets it to match point but Paul produces something very special to stay alive, sprinting across court and somehow finding a way to send a running backhand past the German at the net and bring it back to deuce.
The American then holds serve, ensuring that the second seed will need to hold serve to see this match out.
Zverev is cooking with gas now, hitting more on his first serve than he has in any of the previous three sets. He holds serve once more, just one more break or hold of serve now required to move into the final four of the men’s draw.
The finish to this one looks like it’s rapidly approaching, as Zverev breaks Paul once again to take a 4-0 lead in the fourth.
He opens his next serve with a powerful ace.
Top seed Yui Kamiji is making quick work of things in her round one women’s wheelchair clash on Court Five, the two-time Australian Open winner not dropping a game on the way to taking the first set against Shiori Funamizu.
On Court Six, men’s second seed Alfie Hewett has taken out the first set of his men’s wheelchair opening round meeting with Frenchman Stephane Houdet.
Zverev spots Paul creeping up to the net at 15-30 and wellies a shot right at him to tie things up. It goes to deuce where the German takes it, riding 216 and 219 km/h serves to a hold and a 3-0 lead in the fourth.
Despite being up two sets to one, Zverev hadn’t been ahead a break in this match entering the fourth set. He has now, though, breaking Paul’s opening service of the fourth to seize the initiative.
Paul has fired in more aces and winners than Zverev by almost twofold throughout this contest but unforced errors — especially during the two tiebreaks — are costing him, making 47 compared with the German’s 32
Zverev ensures that it won’t be three sets in a row in which Paul gets an early break, holding serve to open the fourth set.
Out on Court Five on the Australian Open’s All Abilities Day, women’s wheelchair top seed Yui Kamiji is up an early break on wildcard Shiori Funamizu in her opening round match, while on Court 6 Stephane Houdet has got a break back against men’s wheelchair second seed Alfie Hewett in the opening set of their encounter.
On Court Seven, men’s wheelchair third seed Martin De la Puente has wrapped up his match with Zhenxu Ji, winning 6-1 6-1
There’s fight left in Paul yet, as the American takes out the third set.
A huge shot from the 12th seed to bring up 30-0 sets the tone, a big forearm winner driven behind Zverev. After a backhand brings up three set points, the German’s attempt to drop a deft shot over the net falls short and gives Paul the set.
We’re off to a fourth set, Zverev leading Paul 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-0) 2-6; obviously the easiest way to avoid the second seed’s dominance in tie breaks is to simply not play them
After both hold serve, a potentially huge moment for Paul arrives when he breaks Zverev again, going up 5-2 in this third set and giving him hope, no matter how faint, of forcing his way back into this contest.
We’ve got a pretty big upset out on Kia Arena, as the men’s doubles top seeds and No 1 ranked team in the world Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have been eliminated by Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek!
The Swede and Dutchman broke their Salvadorian and Croatian opponents in the third set to put them on course for the boilover, setting up a semi-final with Italian third seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
A big jump smash from Paul sees him hold serve. We’re seeing some level of improvement in his first serve across his opening two services after it fell off in the second set.
We have another feather on the court! This time it slowly floats down before Zverev can serve to make it 40-0, causing him to pause briefly and stare it down on its way to the court.
He gets the point and while Paul starts to make things interesting by winning the next two points, Zverev takes the game with an ace fired down the T.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev shows a feather to the umpire. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images It’s deja vu all over again, as Paul gets the early break in Zverev’s opening service of this third set and then gets the hold, pinning his opponent behind the baseline and inducing a forehand into the net.
There’s been an early break for Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek out on Kia Arena as they attempt to upset the top-seeded men’s pairing of Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo, serving at 3-1 in the third and decisive set.
On Court Three, men’s wheelchair third seed Martin De la Puente is up a set over Chinese qualifier Zhenxu Ji, while second seed Alfie Hewett has an early break in the first set of his match with Stephane Houdet on Court Six.
Zverev takes the second set in a dominant tie break. A powerful winner from the German makes it 6-0 and brings up six set points as the two change ends, Paul briefly pausing for a drink while the German moves straight to the baseline in preparation for his serve.
Paul is only just able to keep his return of the 215 km/h serve in and Zverev pounces, using his powerful backhand to take the point and the second set.
Just as he did in the first set, Paul got the break and had the chance to serve out for the set only for Zverev to fight back and force a tie break. Once there, there was only going to be one winner – the second seed now leading by a combined 14-1 in those tie breaks.
The tiebreak begins and it quickly starts to resemble the one that decided the first set, Zverev bursting out of the blocks to take a 5-0 lead – he’s now leading Paul 12-1 across the two played in this match.
A slight delay after Zverev races to a 40-0 lead, the German needing to fix his man bun up before he can look to serve the game out. Suitably coiffed, he sends a powerful serve down the middle that Paul can’t return.
We’re off to another tie break at Rod Laver Arena, this quarter-final clash having just gone past the two-hour mark.
Paul holds serve, making it 6-5 in this second set and throwing the onus back on Zverev.
Out on Kia Arena, the top-seeded men’s doubles team of Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo have taken out the second set against Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek, the latter duo holding serve to start the decisive third.