Australian Open FIVE things we learned – Dan Evans feels heat in win

The Australian Open is up and running and already there has been plenty of action around the courts as well as on it.

The searing heat in Melbourne has been one of the biggest opponents to many players so far, including Britain’s Dan Evans who was among those hit by the high temperatures as he progressed to the second round.

Sportsmail looks at the five things you might have missed overnight from Day Two of the competition. 

Heat is on 

Day two saw the first introduction of the ultimate step in the extreme heat policy – a total suspension of play on outside courts around 2pm. There is a sliding scale of conditions from one to five, based on wind, temperature, humidity and glare from the sun.

The equation used added up to step five being called in, which was to take all players off court. The simple temperature was just short of 100F. Play resumed more than three and a half hours later. Dan Evans was among those affected before he beat Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4. He now plays Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

Giorgi has nothing to hide 

Italian player Camila Giorgi denied that she entered Australia last year with the help of a faked vaccination certificate. Giorgi is one of hundreds of her compatriots who are under investigation for their association with doctor Daniela Grillone, said to have been the source of fake certificates. However Giorgi insisted that she is fully vaccinated, and that her jabs were topped up elsewhere. ‘The doctor has been investigated, and she had troubles in this year with the law a few times. I just did all my vaccination in different places. So the trouble is hers, not with me,’ said Giorgi, through to the second round, whose visa does not appear to be under threat.

Flagged up

Tennis Australia belatedly introduced a ban on Russian and Belarussian flags, after a Russian version was draped courtside on an outside court, drawing complaints from the Ukrainian ambassador to Canberra. It appears that TA had forgotten this possibility could occur: ‘Our initial policy was that fans could bring them in but could not use them to cause disruption. Yesterday we had an incident where a flag was placed courtside. The ban is effective immediately.’ Despite that a flag was spotted at the match of Andrey Rublev. Unlike at Wimbledon, Russian and Belarussian players are permitted to play in Melbourne, but as neutrals.

Keeping it cool 

Leylah Fernandez, who Emma Raducanu defeated in the US Open final, was among those players grateful to get their match over and done with before the lengthy heat suspension was brought in. Now ranked 40, Canadian Fernandez had a victory over France’s Alize Cornet, who beat Raducanu at Flushing Meadows in September.

Fritz beats Netflix curse 

There has been much talk about the curse of Netflix, referring to the injuries and defeats suffered by the main participating characters in the current Break Point documentary series.

That did not extend to American Taylor Fritz, with the No 8 seed defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4 6-2 4-6 7-5.