Plenty going on at the Australian Open, which makes it hard to keep up with the action. Here’s a quick round 2 recap to get you up to speed.
If you’re really behind on the event, check out our Round 1 recap here.
Germany’s Laura Siegemund created a stir at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, as the second-round action in both singles draws brought plenty of drama.
At 36 years old, the world No.97 pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far, taking down last year’s finalist and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen 7-6(3), 6-3. Known for her ability to topple top players, Siegemund has previously claimed victories over stars like Maria Sakkari, Simona Halep, and Venus Williams.
Day 4 also saw Czech teenager Jakob Mensik notch a career-defining victory, ousting sixth seed Casper Ruud in four sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. For the 19-year-old rising star, it marked his fifth win against a top-10 opponent and followed his impressive semifinal run in Auckland last week, where he defeated Ben Shelton.
In the women’s draw, Naomi Osaka continued her comeback with a thrilling three-set win over world No.20 Karolina Muchova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. The two-time Australian Open champion, who triumphed here in 2019 and 2021, reached the third round of a Slam for the first time since becoming a mother in July 2023. She will next face Belinda Bencic, also returning to the tour after giving birth in April 2023.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round, extending her win streak at Melbourne Park to 16 matches. The two-time defending champion defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5 in a match of power hitting, and is set to clash with Auckland champion Clara Tauson on Friday.
Coco Gauff maintained her perfect start to 2025, earning her seventh consecutive victory with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Brit Jodie Burrage. Gauff faced a challenge in the second set, trailing 5-3, but rallied to close it out. Burrage will be happy with her form after serious injury in 2024.
Jessica Pegula, the seventh seed, secured her first career win over Belgium’s Elise Mertens, 6-4, 6-2, while 14th seed Mirra Andreeva endured a nail-biting final set to edge past Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, winning the deciding tiebreak 10-8. She mentioned after the match, that she was beginning to think the court was cursed, after struggling on the same court last year.
On the men’s side, Jack Draper delivered another marathon performance, recovering from two sets to one and 5-3 down in the fourth to defeat Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in a raucous atmosphere on John Cain Arena. Draper broke Kokkinakis when the Aussie served for the match and ultimately secured a 6-3 victory in the fifth set. The Aussie later revealed he has a serious shoulder injury, and will likely need surgery.
Elsewhere, Australian Aleksandar Vukic celebrated a milestone victory, upsetting 22nd seed Sebastian Korda 7-5 in the fifth set. It marks the first time the 28-year-old has reached the third round at a major.
Top players Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all advanced. Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, needed four sets to overcome Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2. He will face Czech Tomas Machac, who beat Reilly Opelka in five sets.
Alcaraz breezed past Yoshihito Nishioka, dropping just five games, while Zverev enjoyed a commanding win over Pedro Martinez, 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, during the night session.
In a late-night thriller, Felix Auger-Aliassime let a two-set lead slip, falling to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a five-set marathon that ended at 1:11 am Thursday, 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. The match also had to be moved to a different court mid-match, due to the noise of French fans from an adjacent court.
Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina both enjoyed straight-sets wins, continuing a strong tournament for the couple. Monfils defeated Daniel Altmaier 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3) to become one of the few men aged 38 or older to reach the third round at Melbourne Park since 1988. Just last week, he won the Auckland title, becoming the oldest tour-level champion since 1977.
Svitolina’s 6-1, 6-4 victory over Caroline Dolehide marked her first tournament back after foot surgery last autumn. The couple now faces tough challenges, with Monfils set to meet Taylor Fritz and Svitolina preparing to take on fourth seed Jasmine Paolini.
Second seed Iga Swiatek delivered a dominant performance, defeating Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2. She will next face Emma Raducanu, in a match that will have plenty of eyeballs on it, who played a solid match to beat Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
Danielle Collins and Madison Keys also moved forward, each winning tough three-set battles to set up a third-round encounter. Collins didn’t endear herself to the pro-Australian crowd after the match, letting them know that she didn’t appreciate their behaviour during the contest. Elena Rybakina, Emma Navarro, Ons Jabeur, and lucky loser Eva Lys also booked their spots in the next round.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner survived an early scare against wildcard Tristan Schoolkate to win in four sets, while Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune recorded straightforward victories.
Rounding out the day, Alex de Minaur thrilled home fans with a comfortable win over Tristan Boyer, and Lorenzo Sonego halted Joao Fonseca’s 14-match win streak, much to the disappointment of Brazilian fans. Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, setting up an exciting third-round clash.
It was a rough day for Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz, both of whom were eliminated, with Fabian Marozsan and Miomir Kecmanovic securing impressive victories.
In late night Thursday action, Learner Tien, the 19-year-old American, upset Daniil Medvedev in 5 sets, finishing well into Friday morning, continuing the impressive tournament by the new Next Gen players.
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