Key events
Alcaraz and Walton are ready. I doubt we get many answers to the Ferrero question today, but watching the world no 1 play is never anything less than a treat, even if they’ve got him in yet more ridiculous get-up. Why does he let them do it to him?
Venus Williams innit. She opens shoulder, hammers a forehand winner inside-out, and now leads Danilovic 7-6(5). She’s still younger than me.
Venus now leads 5-3 in the breaker, and what a thrill it is to have this bonus bout of her. Back with Norrie, he seems to be dialled in now and, as I type, he breaks for 1-2 3-1.
On telly, they’re talking about Alcaraz’s split from Juan Carlos Ferrero, his coach since he was an even younger kid than he is now.
It may be that he’s so good it doesn’t matter, or that actually, what he needs is some fresh ideas, but that wasn’t the reason for the separation, so we really don’t know until we know.
Danilovic and Venus are playing a breaker; Danilovic leads 2-1 in it, having just lost her mini-break.
Bublik is nearly there, securing a 6-4 second set before breaking Brooksby at the start of set three and consolidating; he leads 2-0 2-0.
Back with Norrie, he trails Bonzi 2-1 1-1, having stabilised following a poor period. I wonder if, having taken set one 6-0, he mentally relaxed a tad – out of character, but who hasn’t coasted at work?
Next on Laver: Carlos Alcaraz (1) v Adam Walton.
Sabalenka says Laver feels amazing and like home. She doesn’t think she played her best, but Rakotomanga was doing well, then she found her rhythm towards the end of set one and is happy with that – it’s hard to play someone really young and also tough to play a lefty.
Pushed, she then admits she saw Rod and Roger, asking for a photo as a big fan and saying she got a bit tight wanting to play well in front of them – she hopes they enjoyed a bit. The whole match she was walking about telling herself not to look at them.
Finally, told only Martina Hingis has made four consecutive finals in Melbourne and that Djokovic didn’t, she interrupts the interview to ask Federer if he did; he doesn’t know. In his defence, it must be hard to keep track.
Sabalenka gets her phone, poses for her selfie, and that’s a lovely conclusion to proceedings.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) beats Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4 6-1
Rakotomanga gave a really good account of herself, but Sablenka was too much. Next for her: Bai or, more likely and potentially very taxing, Pavlyuchenkova.
I’ve switched over from Bublik, who leads Brooksby 5-4 6-5, to watch Venus, up 5-4 on serve against Danilovic. On Laver, Sabalenka has match point.
Fantastic shot from Rakotomanga, ending a fine rally by dashing in and stretching to flicks a gorgeous forehand cross-court for a winner. Sabalenka applauds and, in the crowd, we’ve a pair of decent boys who also enjoy it. In the event, the champ still breaks and will now serve for the match at 6-4 5-1, but we’re watching a proper talent here.
Norrie slices a backhand wide and Bonzi, a player he’d really expect to beat, leads him by two sets to one having been bagelled in the first.
Norrie makes Bonzi serve for it at 5-4; Sabalenka breaks Rakotomanga again for 6-4 4-1. Rakotomanga has played well here, but the champ and world no 1 is just so good.
Also going on:
Norrie retrieves one break for 3-4 in set three, then holds to make it close, only for Bonzi to rush through a hold of his own, to love, for 5-3. Sabalenka, meanwhile, is up 6-4 3-0, and giving Rakotomanga plenty at deuce.
Seriously, though, why are Mini Eggs so good? They taste of nothing – though I confess I’m enjoying the orange ones but I’m not a monster, I promise – and yet they need to sell them in buckets.
Yet more harsh reality for Rakotomanga, broken for 4-6 0-2, and Sabalenka is cruising now, while Bonzi is all over Norrie, serving for 1-1 5-1.
On Court, Bublik has broken in set two to lead Brooksby 6-4 2-1. The winner meets Faucsovics.
Yup, Sabalenka hits deep, Rakotomanga hits long, and the champ leads 6-4.
Norrie nets, Bonzi breaks, and leads 1-1 2-1. Rakotomanga, meanwhile, lefty, 20 and French having been born in Madagascar, might just be putting the world on notice. She clouts a forehand winner cross-court, raising game-point, but then Sabalenka really opens shoulder on a backhand, putting away the volley for set point. Could this be a lesson in harsh reality?
Sabalenka now leads Rakotomanga 5-4; Bonzi, having held for 1-1 1-1, now has 0-40 on the Norrie serve.
Back on Laver, Bublik has taken the first set against Brooksby 6-4. It’s quite strange watching him behave in sensible manner, managing a routine win, but that’s what he’s doing – for now, at least.
Francis Tiafoe (29) beats Jason Kubler 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2
Tiafoe, another who hasn’t got as good as we thought he might, is into round two. Next for him, it’s Comesana.
Michael Zheng beats Sebastian Korda 6-4 6-3 3-6 (0)6-7 6-3
Incredible scenes on Kia. Zheng, a qualifier making his tour-level debut, announces himself to the world! The word says he’s a serious talent – they said that about Korda once – and he faces Moutet next, a match that is difficult but not unwinnable. Already, I can’t wait for that.
Bonzi races in, puts away a sliced volley, and he levels the match with Norrie at a set apiece. Both men are playing well, so we should be in for fun in the next couple of hours.
Nozza, as I’m sure his mates call him, saves two set points while, on Laver, we’re still on serve at 4-3 Sabalenka. Rakotomanga is doing really nicely.
All that work from Norrie and Bonzi races to 5-0 … oooh, and a double takes it to 6-0. This is going to be a struggle, and we’re here for it.
“Can someone just put on Pacific 707 and be done with it?”
Again – in less spectacular style but nevertheless – Norrie restores deuce and, as I type, serves out to secure a breaker at 6-0 6-6. If he wins it, he breaks the back of the match, but if he loses it, it’s a proper ruckus.
Rakotomanga Rajaonah is holding her own against Sabalenka, down 2-3 on serve; Bublik leads Brooksby 4-2; and Norrie is down two further set points.
And Norrie secures his hold for 6-0 5-5; he showed some serious stones there, playing beautifully under pressure. Sabalenka, meanwhile, holds for 2-1, and she’s settled into her defence.
And have a look! A glorious forehand winner, hauled cross-court, is backed up by another down the line, the swinging leftiness doing the business, but Bonzi soon has advantage, retrieved by some delightful anticipation at the net, a backhand volley, on the stretch, restoring deuce.
Er yeah. Rakotomanga Rajaonah is broken back immediately for 1-1 in the first, while Norrie is down 15-40 and two set points against Bonzi.
I’m not sure why, but I can’t get commentary on Bublik v Brooksby, which isn’t helpful, but Bublik leads 3-1; Tiafoe is up a break in set three, so at 4-2 is only two games away from seeing off Kubler; Zheng leads Korda by a break at 4-3 in the fifth; and Norrie is up a set on Bonzi, but serving to stay in the second at 4-5.
We’re away on Laver, Sabalenka in dayglo straight out of 1989 … and Rakotomanga Rajaonah immediately makes 0-30 on her serve. Oh! And when the champ swats a backhand long, she’s down three break points! All three are saved, but then the underdog raises a fourth on advantage, thrashes a deep return, and Sabalenka nets a forehand! Rakotomanga Rajaonah need only hold five times and she’s a set up! Er yeah, let’s see…
OK, we’ve got eyes on Court, where Brooksby is serving in game one. Bublik, long known as a maverick whose immaturity prevented him from realising the full extent of his athletic and technical talent, might’ve enjoyed a surprise breakthrough last term. In Paris, he beat De Minaur and Draper in making the last eight, beat Sinner in winning Halle, and made round four in New York, where Sinner took his revenge. He breaks immediately, and seems to have finally decided that he wants to be a tennis player.
We’re out on Laver, but for some reason the link to Court takes us Norrie, now up 6-0 3-3; I’m working on a workaround.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, is ready to come out on to court. She is, of course, the favourite to complete her hat-trick, but we might just be getting to a point in women’s tennis where we’ve got several serious contenders for each major: Sabalenka, of course, but also Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and perhaps Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina. Afrer years of all sorts taking slams, it’s now terrifyingly intense at the top.
On 1573 Arena, Norrie has taken the first set off Benjamin Bonzi 6-0 and just struggled to a hold for 1-1 in the second; on Cain, Francis Tiafoe, seeded 29, leads Jason’ Kubler, the Australian qualifier, 7-6 5-3; on Kia, Seb Korda and Michael Zheng are playing a deciding set; and on Laver and Court respectively, we’ll soon have Sabalenka v Tiantso Rakotomanga Rajaonah and Bublik, now up to 10, against Jenson Brooksby.
Mini Eggs, though. Absolute art.
Preamble
Strewth, stone the crows, g’day and welcome to the Australian Open 2026 – day one!
January gets a bad rep and with good reason, but when we really think about it, can we really complain about Masters snooker, Mini Eggs, and the first grand slam of the year? Exactly.
Already today, Arthur Fery has beaten the no 20 seed Flavio Coboli, Cameron Nofrrie is on court now, likewise Francis Tiafoe, and to come, we’ve Sasha Bublik, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz … and Venus Expletive Williams! It may be dark outside, but inside, we’ve the brightest sunshine; here we go.
