Key events
De Minaur and MacDonald have met twice before with the Australian winning on both occasions, but the most recent of those was indoors in 2022, so it’s unlikely to be playing on the minds of either combatant.
This is De Minaur’s fourth match of 2026, following a United Cup campaign for Australia that saw him defeat Hubert Hurkacz and Jakub Mensik, and lose to Casper Ruud.
It is also a fourth match of the year for McDonald. All of his contests so far came in AO qualifying, where he beat Dmitry Popko and Hugo Grenier before losing to Liam Draxl. McDonald hasn’t won a main draw match at ATP Tour level since September last year when he knocked out Botic van de Zandschlup in the round of 32 at the Chengdu Open.
Alex de Minaur and Mackenzie McDonald are out on RLA hitting up. The arena is filling up but patrons are gravitating to the shaded seats with the early afternoon sunshine and fierce heat making its mark.
One more giant-killing before we focus on Alex de Minaur… 15th seed Emma Navarro has fallen to Magda Linette. The American won the opening set but will not match her run to the quarter-finals here last year.
There have been a couple of upsets early on day two, led by seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian was forced to retire two sets to one down against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. That opens up the section of the draw featuring Daniil Medvedev and the 11th seed is two sets up and cruising against Jesper de Jong.
In the women’s singles, 2020 champion Sofia Kenin is out, beaten in straight sets by compatriot Peyton Stearns. The 27th seed has won just one match in five visits to Melbourne Park since her maiden grand slam.
For a while there it looked as though this match might get underway pretty close to 1:30pm but Coco Gauff took her time finishing off the opening clash on Rod Laver Arena. The third seeded American eventually overcame Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2 6-3 despite tightening up with the finish line in sight. Worryingly, Gauff sent down seven double faults and won just 8/24 points behind her second serve.
It is HOT in Melbourne
It is a glorious summer’s day in Melbourne, which means peak temperatures in the early 30s and stifling conditions for elite sport. The atmospheric conditions are intensified for the players by the heat reflecting off the blue courts and the slim chance the cooling southerly breeze penetrates the bowl of Rod Laver Arena.
The tournament’s heat policy is unlikely to kick in today but it will definitely be in operation on Saturday when the mercury could hit 40C, in advance of a stifling second week of competition.
Jack Snape has taken a closer look at the leading man of Australian tennis.
De Minaur’s time on tour has been marked by his consistency to perform at a high level, including the last four years in and around the world’s top 10. He has returned to his career-high rank of No 6 this month. But the summit has so far eluded him.
He has reached the quarter-finals at a grand slam six times – including at Melbourne Park last year – without being able to take that next step. The defeat at home last year against Jannik Sinner, when the Italian swamped De Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in just 108 minutes, was the defending champion’s 10th victory in a row against the Australian.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Alex de Minaur v Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open. The first serve on Rod Laver Arena will not be before 1:30pm local time.
This is a massive tournament for the sixth-seeded De Minaur, the man bidding to become the first Australian finalist at Melbourne Park in the men’s singles since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and the first local winner since Mark Edmondson triumphed on the grass of Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in 1976.
De Minaur is almost 27, and with over 10 years as a professional should be at the peak of his powers. He is a career-best sixth on the ATP Rankings and a fixture inside the top 10 for most of the past two years. Consistent and willing, does he have the weapons to elevate his game to compete with the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz duopoly at his sport’s summit?
If De Minaur is to become Australian sport’s golden boy he will have to do it the hard way. He was initially drawn against Italian Davis Cup winner Matteo Berrettini in round one, with 29th seed Frances Tiafoe a potential third-round opponent, while the 10th seed Alexander Bublik looms in round four entering the tournament in career-best form. The inevitable clash with either Sinner or Alcaraz follows at the quarter-final stage, with the Spaniard in the same quarter of the bracket.
But on the eve of the tournament Berrettini announced he had suffered a recurrence of the abdomen problems that had plagued his 2025 season and would withdraw, allowing Mackenzie McDonald to enter the draw. The 30-year-old American was beaten in qualifying but now receives a last-minute call-up as a “lucky loser”.
More from Melbourne Park shortly, but if you want to get in touch while the blog is live you can contact me on email at jonathan.howcroft.casual@guardian.co.uk.
