Key events
Wang is putting Raducanu over her knee, breaking her for 6-4 1-0, while Dimitrov has just taken the first set off Kokkinakis 6-3. On Court, Rune and Cazaux are 4-4, while Svitolina is up a set and a break against Tomova.
Boris Becker is in the Eurosport studio and, now that you ask, I met him over Christmas in Accra, then two minutes later bumped into Wendell Pierce. More news as I get it.
Let’s round up today’s action so far
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Iga Swiatek needed three sets to beat Danielle Collins
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Casper Ruud beast Max Purcell in a fifth-set breaker
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Carlos Alcaraz, as we saw, beat Lorenzo Sonego in four
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Alexander Zverev has another scare, beating Lukas Klein in five
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Sloane Stephens saw off number-14 seed, Daria Kasatkina, in three
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Tommy Paul beat Jack Draper in four
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Cam Norrie came from two sets down to beat Giulia Zeppieri
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Qinweng Zhang beat Katie Boilter in two
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Cara Burel beat number five seed, Jessica Pegula, in two
Jerry Shang beats Sumit Nagal 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-4
Shang finishes it with an ace, and this boy could be the boy. He meets Carlos Alcaraz next, and that is going to be a lot of fun.
Excellent from Wang, who serves out to love and finishes the set with a wrongfooting backhand, from on her haunches, that sums up the set. She leads Raducanu 6-4.
Raducanu is warming up, taking back a break and holding to love; Wang leads her 5-4 in the first.
Next on Laver: Elena Rybakina (3) v Anna Blinkova.
And Shang has broken, so he now leads by 4-3 and by two sets to love. He’s 18, lefty, Chinese – though spent a lot of time in America – and has insane quantities of talent and attitude. And as I type, out of nowhere he leaps into a forehand down the line that doesn’t hit the corner or even get that close, but is hit so flat and hard that no one, never mind Nagal is getting near it.
Wang is giving Raducanu a doing, up 5-2 in the first and generally having her way, while Dimitrov leads Kokkinakis 4-1. I think, though, that I’m going to get Shang on, because he is a potential superstar.
The way Alcaraz finished that, oof marone. Sonego played really well, as he acknowledges, and it was tough to play your best in the wind. But he thinks the two of them “made some good points” and “it was a good match”. Today was his 200th match on tour – he’s 20! – and being the killer that he is, Alcaraz says he’s got 200 wins, and wants to make 300. I much prefer the trainers he wears post-match than the one he wears during it, because yes, he changed.
Carlos Alcaraz (2) beats Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 (3)6-7 6-3 7-6(3)
A colossal forehand and a slam-dunk smash seal the deal, and Alcaraz meets Sumit Nagal or Jerry Shang next; currently, Shang leads 2-6 6-3 7-5 3-3.
Alcaraz whams a fine return to the back, but Sonego picks it up well and the attempted winner goes long. No matter three more match points are to come, the first two on serve.
Alcaraz has been so aggressive at the business end of this set and now leads 5-2 … 6-2, Sonego caught by one that bounces deep and flicking a forehand riposte long. Four match points…
A massive serve from Alcaraz and that’s 3-0; he wants out of there. Years ago, I remember footballers talking about looking across the tunnel to see either Man United’s 93-94 team, or Arsenal’s 98-04 teams, and thinking man, look at the size of them. I’m not sure if that’s why Alcaraz is in vast, but he’s in absolutely ludicrous shape, and he doesn’t mind who knows about it. He leads 4-2.
On Court, Holger Rune the number eight seed, and Arthur Cazaux, a wild card, are knocking up; Alcaraz serves out to love, and we’ll now have another breaker, Sonego having taken the previous one easily. But the number two seed might just’ve hit a seam these last two games, so I fancy him to nick this one … and backhand down the line means an immediate mini-break.
Sonego wallops down a service winner, and Alcaraz must now serve to stay in set three while, on Cain, Dimitrov has played a lovely leaping volley to break Kokkinakis for 3-1.
And Wang breaks Raducanu for 2-1 then, well, goodness me. Alcaraz hoists a fine lob, Sonego does superbly to leap and deflect a backhand overhead towards the sideline … then Alcaraz dematerialises a backhand winner down the line and through the gap between umpire’s chair and net, a shot so luminous Sonego applauds. And he’s under a spot of pressure as another Alcaraz winner leaves him serving at 5-5 40-30.
So, what to watch? I’m on Raducanu 1-1 Wang, Sonego 4-6 7-6(3) 3-6 5-5 Alcaraz and Dimitrov 2-1 Kokkinakis.
Preamble
G’day one and all, and welcome to what looks like another terrific session (of tennis).
I love the way they do evenings in Melbourne, matches running over from the day and plenty going on, because really, that’s what the first week of a Slam is about: loads of matches, none of which you watch entirely properly, some of which develop into surprise classics, all of which contribute to a feeling of wellbeing that only a surfeit of sport can bestow.
So, what’s on the menu for the next bit? Well, our principal evening sesh features what should be fairly straightforward matches for Elena Rybakina, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and Victoria Azarenka.
But on top of that, Griggzy Dimitrov and Thanasi Kokkinakis are just under way, to be followed by a belter: Jelena Ostapenko v Ajla Tomljanovic. And we’ve also got Emma Raducanu and Elina Svitolina – both of whose matches are in their early stages – Hubert Hurkacz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. So, let’s get on with it.