Key events
Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt is courtside as part of De Minaur’s camp. The former world No 1 sums up what he has made of the clash with Boyer so far.
It would have been nice to get the early break in the first game especially playing with the wind. But Boyer has played pretty well, especially down the far end. He is trying to take it on. We did know he likes to come in but he is taking his chances and he looks very comfortable at the net. He likes going for the drop volley a lot so Alex has to be ready for that.
After an early scare De Minaur has found his rhythm now. The eighth seed breezes through his serve to love even with a 19-shot rally on the third point.
De Minaur holds serve as he works Boyer around the court with clever ground strokes. The eighth seed then breaks Boyer to take a 3-2 lead in the first set.
De Minaur gets the first set back on serve as he breaks Boyer to love. The Australian forces a series of errors from Boyer with his own exquisite ground strokes.
Danger signs early for Alex de Minaur as Tristan Boyer breaks the eighth seed at the first attempt. The Australian has been matched by Boyer’s athleticism across the opening two games while the American has started with more control and power from the baseline.
Tristan Boyer holds after fighting off an early break point for Alex de Minaur. The eighth seed had his chances but some questionable shot selection at the net – including going cross-court when the door was open for a winner down the line at deuce – allows the American to make a reasonably steady start.
Alex De Minaur bounces around Rod Laver Arena as he quickly takes a 0-30 lead over Tristan Boyer. After a couple of errors at the baseline the American tries coming to the net and angles a volley across court that De Minaur is somehow able to chase it down. The return goes long but De Minaur’s speed will now be most apparent to Boyer, if it wasn’t already.
Tristan Boyer will serve first in the second-round match with Australia’s only remaining singles seed in Alex de Minaur.
While we wait for Alex De Minaur and Tristan Boyer to finish their warm-up on Rod Laver Arena, a quick wrap of where we’re at with more second round singles clashes around the grounds.
Francisco Cerundolo (31) has just progressed to the third round as Facundo Diaz Acosta retires while trailing 6-2, 1-0.
Xiyu Wang is closing in on an upset win over Emma Navarro (8) while serving at 3-6, 6-3, 4-3.
Yulia Putintseva (24) is within reach of the third round while up 6-2, 4-1 against Shuai Zhang.
Elena Rybakina (6) is off to a fast start against Iva Jovic with a pair of early breaks and a 4-0 lead.
Gael Monfils takes the first set from Daniel Altmaier 7-5.
Lorenzo Musetti (16) and Denis Shapovalov are locked on serve at 5-5.
Ben Shelton (21) and Pablo Carreno Busta are also on serve at 2-2.
Alex de Minuar is completing his initial warm up inside the locker room before carrying the hopes of the home nation onto Rod Laver Arena to face American qualifier Tristan Boyer.
The eighth seed was in fine touch as he brushed aside a dangerous first-round opponent in Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. Perhaps most importantly, de Minuar is showing no signs of the injury concerns that have plagued him since reaching the last eight at three consecutive grand slams.
The body is exactly where I wanted it to be. I put in countless hours over the better part of six months to get to this point and be feeling good, feeling comfortable, moving, sliding from one side to the other, and not really thinking about my hip.
Emma Navarro (8) has her work cut out against Xiyu Wang after dropping the second set. It’s all even at 6-3, 3-6, 2-2 as the American looks to match her efforts in reaching the third round at Melbourne Park last year.
Emma Raducanu looks relieved as she talks about beating her good friend Amanda Anisimova in straight sets, continuing her journey back from an injury layoff and facing second seed Iga Swiatek in the third round.
This is a slam I love playing at so to make it to the third round means a lot to me. It’s incredibly difficult whenever you play a friend but I had to put that aside today. It was tricky today, it was a little bit windy, but we both had to deal with that. We both, in patches, had moments with out serve, but I was proud to get in back on track.
It’s difficult. The way I play is pretty athletic. I was feeling it but the way I recovered, I was pretty proud of.
It’s a good match for me. Every match I can play against a tough opponent is good for me. We’ve played twice before on clay but this will be the first time on a hardcourt. I have nothing to lose.
Emma Raducanu beats Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-5
Emma Raducanu is through to the third round at the Australian Open for the first time after shaking off soreness and her good friend Amanda Anisimova.
The former US Open champion took some time to find her touch but soon outplayed Anisimova as the American too often went searching for winners rather than playing a more patient game against a seemingly wounded opponent.
Anisimova had 39-12 winners but paid a heavy price for 44-17 unforced errors while Raducanu looked more comfortable rallying from the baseline or when approaching the net.
Next up for Raducanu … a certain Iga Swiatek.
Miomir Kecmanovic beats Hubert Hurkacz (18) 6-4 6-4 6-2
We have our first upset of the day as Miomir Kecmanovic knocks out 18th seed and last year’s quarter-finalist Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.
It was an impressive performance from Kecmanovic and the Serb should hold few fears coming up against Holger Rune (13) or Matteo Berrettini in the third round.
Emma Raducanu is showing few signs of the injury concerns that called for a medical timeout at the start of the second set as she holds serve against Amanda Anisimova. The American pulled out three backhand winners to take the game to deuce but Raducanu holds her nerve with her agility around the court telling as the game edges towards the two-hour mark. Anisimova to, once again, serve to stay alive.
The 18th seed is on the ropes on John Cain Arena as Miomir Kecmanovic again breaks Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole is serving to try to find a way back into the contest at 6-4, 6-4, 4-2.
Emma Raducanu can’t quite seal the match as Amanda Anisimova has the Brit scurrying around the court at 40-30. Raducanu fights to stay in the point until Anisimova sends a forehand return long to give up an 18-shot rally that she controlled throughout. The game twice goes to deuce before the American blazes a forehand winner then Raducanu goes long off from well behind the baseline on a backhand return.
Ons Jabeur beats Camila Osorio 7-5 6-3
Ons Jabeur overcomes illness and Camila Osorio to move into the third round.
The three-time grand slam finalist will face the winner of the ongoing match between Emma Navarro and Xiyu Wang. The eighth seed Navarro currently leads 6-3, 2-4.
Emma Raducanu is improving as the match against Amanda Anisimova carries on and the American will now serve to stay alive. Raducanu leads 6-3, 5-4.
Iga Swiatek (2) beats Rebecca Sramkova 6-0 6-2
Iga Swiatek surges into the third round with victory over Rebecca Sramkova in bang on an hour.
The second seed will face the winner of the ongoing battle between Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova, while Alex de Minaur is next up on Rod Laver Arena.
The topsy-turvy clash on Kia Arena keeps rolling with Amanda Anisimova breaking Emma Raducanu. This is turning into a battle between Anisimova’s impatience and Raducanu’s injury concerns.
Daria Kasatkina (9) beats Yafan Wang 6-2 6-0
Daria Kasatkina is yet to drop a set as she cruises out of the second round with an emphatic victory over Yafan Wang.
The ninth seed is yet to pass the third round in nine previous attempts at the Australian Open and this time will face the winner between Yulia Putintseva (24) and Shuai Zhang.
Stirring work from Emma Raducanu as the Brit breaks back immediately after a medical timeout. She seals it with a sublime cross-court forehand that Amanda Anisimova doesn’t even bother chasing down. Raducanu then holds serve and is right back in the second set while trailing 2-3.
Ons Jabeur seems to be suffering from illness rather than injury and has had to head to the locker room a couple of times during her second round match against Camila Osorio. The three-time grand slam finalist is shaking off any ailments to open up a 7-5, 3-2 lead, but it looks like she’d ideally finish this quickly.
Emma Raducanu calls for a medical timeout and receives some assistance to stretch out the hip, groin and back regions. Hopefully the Brit is just a bit tight rather than suffering anything too serious but she has looked restricted in her movements through this second set. Amanda Anisimova serves while up 3-0.
An upset is well and truly brewing on John Cain Arena as Miomir Kecmanovic takes a two sets lead over 18th seed Hubert Hurkacz at 6-4, 6-4. Last year’s quarter-finalist has sent down nine aces as his serve looks in fine touch but the ground play is off the mark with 22 unforced errors to Kecmanovic’s eight critical at this stage.
Emma Raducanu is subtly grabbing at what appears to be a hip concern. No double faults this time but Amanda Anisimova breaks again and is up 3-0 in the second.
Iga Swiatek races through the first set to love against Rebecca Sramkova in 26 minutes as the Slovak can only claim 10 points. The second seed is in imperious form early in this tournament.
Amanda Anisimova starts the second set with a break as Emma Raducanu takes the game to deuce despite a pair of double faults. But the Brit pays the price for another double fault on break point. Anisimova then finishes with a couple of aces to hold serve and take a 2-0 lead.
Dayana Yastremska (32) beats Danka Kovinic 6-0 6-1
The first singles result of day five sees the Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska breeze past Danka Kovinic to take another step towards matching her semi-final appearance at the Australian Open last year.
Next up for Yastremska in the third round will be sixth seed Elena Rybakina or Iva Jovic.
Emma Raducanu wins the first set against Amanda Anisimova 6-3 in 54 minutes. It has been an even tussle with the American making the early running before Raducanu slowly wrestled back the momentum. The Brit has benefited from having more patience and perhaps trust in her groundstrokes, while Anisimova has a significant lead for both winners (21-7) and unforced errors (20-9).
Emma Raducanu fights off a break point for Amanda Anisimova to hold serve and take a 5-3 lead. The American’s number of errors are climbing as she looks to rush through the rallies
Emma Raducanu breaks Amanda Anisimova to edge in front for the first time today. But neither player has the momentum with that the fourth game in a row to go to deuce.
Emma Raducanu is right back in the match against Amanda Anisimova under now sunny skies on Kia Arena. Once again the Brit is made to work hard to hold serve as the game goes to three deuce but Anisimova pays the price for her backhand weapon suddenly misfiring. It’s all square at 3-3.
Play is under way on Rod Laver Arena and second seed Iga Swiatek is off to a blistering start against Rebecca Sramkova. The clay court specialist is already up 2-0 after an immediate break.
On court 3, Ons Jabeur is fighting soreness as much as Camila Osorio as the three-time grand slam finalist attempts to crawl into the third round. Jabeur leads the first set 4-3 but is mostly hanging on at the moment.
Miomir Kecmanovic holds serve to take the first set against Hubert Hurkacz 6-4. The 18th seed didn’t give up on the set without a fight as he twice took the game to deuce but is still to set up a break point against the big-serving Serb.
Emma Raducanu breaks Amanda Anisimova as the American double faults twice. There is a bit of wind around that seems to be affecting the ball toss but that was still a lacklustre service game from Anisimova.
Hubert Hurkacz fights back to hold serve to 30 but Miomir Kecmanovic will now serve for the first set. The Pole needs to at least find a first break point against Kecmanovic.
Emma Raducanu is broken for a second time after fighting back in a service game that went to deuce five times across almost 14 minutes. Amanda Anisimova’s power on the backhand is proving the difference so far but the American is also looking to get to the net at any opportunity. She leads 3-1 in the first.
Early danger signs for 18th seed Hubert Hurkacz who is serving to stay in the first set against Miomir Kecmanovic at 3-5 and now down 0-30. The Pole reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park last year but is quickly in a spot of bother on John Cain Arena today.
Amanda Anisimova is the first to hold serve as a pair of powerful forehand winners are too much for Emma Raducanu. The American leads 2-1.
Over on John Cain Arena, Hubert Hurkacz (18) has been broken by Miomir Kecmanovic as the Serbian opens up an early 3-1 lead in the first.
Emma Raducanu gives up her early advantage with a limp service game as Amanda Anisimova breaks back. Both players are still finding their range from the baseline on the short rallies, but this time Raducanu nets on a pair of simple returns.
Amanda Anisimova takes the balls in hand but it is Emma Raducanu with the fast start. A pair of sloppy forehands from the American – the first across court, the second a simple return down the line – sail wide to set up two break points. Raducanu only needs one as Anisimova sends a backhand too long.
Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova are just completing their warm-up and both should have little to hide ahead of their second-round clash after being regular practice partners and becoming good friends in recent times.
The former US Open winner told Tumaini Carayol what it will mean to play Anisimova for the first time.
I think we’re going to be playing each other many more times in the future. This is the first time. And it’s gonna be a good match. I think she’s a tough opponent. She took some time out, obviously, off the tour, for sort of mental health reasons and just to find herself again.
The Australian contingent has seen better days at their home grand slam, with Jordan Thompson and Ajla Tomljanović among the locals to exit the tournament along with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
If you missed out on the five-set thriller between 15th seed Jack Draper and Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis last night, fret not as we have you covered.
Tumaini Carayol was at Melbourne Park to cover the match of the tournament thus far.
While Jack Snape sat in an at times emotional press conference with Kokkinakis, who was one game away from progressing to the third round but in the end succumbed to injury and an equally determined opponent in Draper.
I know I don’t have forever left, so I don’t know how long I’m going to be out [injured], or what the future holds, even if I can get back to this point if I get [surgery] done. So I’m just [in] a lot of doubt and pretty upset. One thing’s for sure I can’t keep doing what I’m doing, it’s mental torture and physical torture.
Now for the weather. The clouds have returned after rain interrupted day four – at least on the outside courts – on a confusingly wintery summers day. The forecast is only slightly better for today but the eye-test tells us that we should get a lot more tennis in.
Isolated showers on and south of the ranges, remaining dry and sunny in the north. A cool to mild day with temperatures below average. Fresh south to southwesterly winds, through north central districts and along the Gippsland coast during the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/lb5tSbjK98
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) January 15, 2025
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of day five at the 2025 Australian Open. The second round in the men’s and women’s singles continues while there is plenty of doubles action kicking off on the outside courts.
Day four pushed into the wee hours as Great Britain’s Jack Draper overcame local hero Thanasi Kokkinakis in five gruelling sets, but as is the way at Melbourne Park the punters have popped off for a nap and are back into it again.
Great Britain’s other high-profile hope Emma Raducanu is one of the first to step onto the hardcourts today with the 2021 US Open winner hoping to pass the second round in the singles for the first time at Melbourne Park. The 22-year-old won’t have a free pass against American Amanda Anisimova. Women’s second seed Iga Swiatek will face Rebecca Sramkova on Rod Laver Arena shortly, with Alex de Minaur to follow on the main court against American qualifier Tristan Boyer.
We’ll have our eyes peeled on Raducana, Swiatek and de Minaur to start with, but here are the tastier match-ups to fill our afternoon with:
11am: Emma Raducanu v Amanda Anisimova
11am: Hubert Hurkacz (18) v Miomir Kecmanovic
11.30am: Iga Swiatek (2) v Rebecca Sramkova
11.30am: Emma Navarro (8) v Xiyu Wang
1pm: Taylor Fritz (4) v Cristian Garin
1.30pm: Alex de Minaur (8) v Tristan Boyer
1.30pm: Elena Rybakina (6) v Iva Jovic
I’ll be with you until 3pm AEDT when Jonathan Howcroft will take the reins. Let me know your thoughts and predictions on email or @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!