Australian Open 2025: Djokovic v Machac, Gauff v Fernandez, Osaka retires – live

Djokovic will need to step it up a level today. The 10-times champion has not been convincing so far, dropping a set in both the first and second rounds against opponents ranked outside the world’s top 100. And it takes him five minutes to secure the opening game on serve here. Machac has beaten Djokovic before, by the way, in the semi-finals of the Geneva Open last year, but that was best of three sets. The 24-year-old Czech has the ability, he boasts so much power, but can he keep it together over the course of five potential sets?

Night session order of play

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beats Jakub Mensik 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-2

Thanks Joey and g’day/good afternoon/good evening everyone, depending on your whereabouts. Right, let’s get this evening session started. Novak Djokovic is about to get going against Tomas Machac on Rod Laver, Coco Gauff will be under way against Leylah Fernandez very shortly, Arthur Fils has taken the opening game on serve in his all-French affair with Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils …. but let’s go straight to the Kia Arena, where Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has three match points against Jakub Mensik. And just the one MP will do as the Spaniard ends the young Czech’s run with an ace!

Maybe not, as Menšík breaks back to make sure that Davidovich Fokina knows this won’t all go his way.

Or maybe yes as the Spaniard promptly breaks back and will now have the chance to serve this third round epic out! And boy did he love that one, roaring a huge “come on!” to the crowd.

That, however, is where I’ll leave you. It’s been a pleasure having you for company over these past few hours and I’ll now leave you in the very capable hands of Katy Murrells to wrap this one up and take you through the evening play.

Menšík gets on the board at last, holding serve for the first time in three attempts. Nonetheless, the look on his face suggests he’s coming to terms with a game that he once had match point on slipping through his fingers.

The crowd is now well and truly behind Davidovich Fokina as he looks to complete the comeback; the commentators noting that a fan in a Manchester United shirt cheering him on hasn’t had much to be happy about as of late. Bantz.

WOW. By the barest of margins, Davidovich Fokina fires a huge forearm winner past Menšík and keeps it just inside the baseline to break the Czech once more.

He’s now up three games to love in this fifth and decisive set and it’s difficult to see him giving the lead up from here.

Tumaini Carayol was out at Margaret Court Arena to watch Alexander Zverev make light work of Jacob Fearnley on his way to the fourth round.

It took just 20 minutes into one of the most significant occasions of Jacob Fearnley’s uncommonly short professional tennis career for the 23-year-old to receive evidence of the soaring level required to consistently trouble the very best tennis players in the world.

All the momentum is with Davidovich Fokina as he breaks Menšík in the first game of the fifth set and, for the first time in this match, gets his nose ahead.

A powerful serve right into his breadbasket gives Menšík little scope to do anything other than scoop the ball out and give up two set points, only one of which Davidovich Fokina needs as he ties this game up and forces a fifth set.

It’s the second straight match that the Spaniard has dropped the opening two sets only to force his way back, having beaten Canadian 29th need Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (6-9) 6-7 (7-5) 6-4 6-1 6-3 in the second round.

For Menšík, it’s pretty much been downhill ever since I wrote he was about to wrap this game up. Sorry mate.

Menšík drops just a single point as he holds serve but must now break Davidovich Fokina if he’s to avoid – having had the chance to serve for the match in the third — being taken to a fifth and deciding set.

What a shot from Davidovich Fokina, an incredible backhand winner across the court capping off a fightback that saw him give up two break points to Menšík, only to hold serve.

Some strong baseline play from the Spaniard then sees him break Menšík to seize the initiative in this fourth set.

In some of the doubles action currently under way, Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse are up a set over Australian pair Maddison Inglis and Destanee Aiava on the 1573 Arena.

Women’s 15th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund also hold a one set lead over Quinn Gleason and Suzan Lamens out on court six but tenth seeds Sofia Kenin and Monica Niculescu are down a set against Renata Zarazua and Miyu Kato.

Belinda Bencic defeats Naomi Osaka 7-6 (7-3) Retired

Bencic brings up three set points against Osaka but needs only one, taking out the first set 7-6 (7-3).

Heading into this tiebreak, it certainly looks like the abdominal strain that forced Osaka to retire in the final of a WTA tournament in Auckland earlier this month has reared its head once more.

If she can battle through it and find a way to down Bencic is one question but so, too, is if she’ll be able to recover in time for a fourth round meeting with Coco Gauff or Leylah Fernandez if she does.

Osaka is back on her feet and awaiting Bencic’s serve, with the Swiss no doubt having taken note of exactly what the issue is and planning how she can take advantage.

A drop shot attempt from Osaka goes straight into the net to give Bencic a 40 to love lead and she takes things out with a forehand.

We will have a fourth set on Kia Arena! That’s not a prediction, it’s a spoiler, because Davidovich Fokina has taken out the third set tie break against Menšík, who now leads 6-3 6-4 6-7 (9-7) heading into the fourth.

Osaka’s serve is increasingly abandoning her as this first set goes on, with the host broadcaster noting that she’s not able to get her wrist over the ball as she had been.

She’s able to hold serve to take a 6-5 lead in this opening set but the trainer has been called for.

A big break from Bencic and this first set will continue! It wasn’t looking good as she went down 30-0 to start things off but she rallied back to win the next four points and gets another chance to serve.

And the Olympic gold medallist has little challenge in subsequently locking this up at 5-5, not dropping a single point as she holds serve.

I’ve been to a few of them myself here in Melbourne, so if Alcaraz is looking for any parlour recommendations come the end of this tournament he’s free to hit me up.

Another hold from Bencic to keep herself in this opening set. But she’ll have to break Osaka and her strong first save to keep herself in it.

Well look at that, Davidovich Fokina has broken back against Menšík to force a third-set tie break out on Kia Arena. After giving the live coverage curse to both of them in the last 15 minutes, I won’t pontificate on what is about to happen next.

An important hold for Bencic, falling behind 15-30 to Osaka but working her way back to hold serve for the first time in this match.

The Swiss subsequently brings up two break points and threaten to break this opening set open, only for her Japanese opponent to fight back, force deuce and then take a crucial hold.

I may have applied something of a mozz to Davidovich Fokina out on Kia Arena, as Menšík has broken back, held serve and broken again to put himself in a commanding position in this third set meeting. He’s now on serve with a chance to take this match out.

Osaka’s serve is already in dominant form, her sixth ace of this young match seeing her hold serve and race to a 4-1 lead against Bencic.

A good piece from Tumaini Carayol on the ground here in Melbourne, looking ahead to Emma Raducanu’s showdown with an opponent in Iga Swiatek that has had the wood over her in all their previous meetings.

Emma Raducanu says she has nothing to lose and will try to swing freely as she faces Iga Swiatek, the world No 2 and five-time grand slam champion, in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday in one of the biggest matches of her career outside her 2021 US Open title run.

Another break for Osaka as she begins to slowly pull away in this opening set, taking advantage of Bencic’s second serve to tee herself for a powerful forearm winner.

I It looks like we’re set for a fourth set out on Kia Arena, as Menšík is up five games to three and serving for the third set against Davidovich Fokina.

Osaka dials in her first serve and we have our first hold of this matchup, the 27-year-old finishing things off with an ace.

And Osaka breaks Bencic right back! She takes her opponent to deuce twice, bringing up break point with a powerful forearm return down the sideline before an error from Bencic ties the opening set back up.

And there’s still plenty of tennis to come later today, too, highlighted by Novak Djokovic taking to Rod Laver to take on Tomas Machac and Coco Gauff facing off with Leylah Fernandez on Margaret Court Arena.

Serbian Olga Danilovic will attempt to stop American seventh seed Jessica Pegula on Rod Laver Arena later in the day and Aleksandar Vukic will seek to avoid becoming the second Australian in a row to fall to British 15th seed Jack Draper, who eliminated a wounded Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.

For those just joining us, women’s top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has already booked her place in the fourth round after defeating Clara Tauson 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 earlier today, as has 18th seed Donna Vekic, who got past 12th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (3-7) 7-5.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Laura Siegemund 6-1 6-2 on John Cain Arena to set up a fourth round clash with Vekic and men’s 12th seed Tommy Paul ran past Roberto Carballés Baena after a battle of a first set, winning 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 6-0.

Women’s 11th seed Paula Badosa beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4 4-6 6-3 and awaits the winner of Olga Danilovic and seventh seed Jessica Pegula.

Naomi Osaka and Belinda Bencic’s third round match-up has just got under way out on John Cain Arena and it’s a great start for the Swiss, breaking Osaka in the opening game of the first set. That match will be our main focus for the next few hours.

Elsewhere in the men’s and women’s singles, Jakub Menšík is up two sets over Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and women’s 13th seed Mirra Andreeva has just taken out her matchup with Magdalena Frech on the 1573 Arena, winning 6-2 1-6 6-2 to set up a fourth round tie with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.

In the pick of the doubles just gone, top seeded men’s pair Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have cruised to a 6-2 6-2 win over Damir Džumhur and Petros Tsitsipas, while American seventh seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow have fought back after dropping the opening set against countryman Marcos Giron and Evan King to advance 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-5.

Third seeded women’s pair Su-wei-hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko have downed Yifan Xu and Zhaoxuan Yang while fourth seeded Italian duo Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini have eliminated local team Priscilla Hon and Daria Saville

Carlos Alcaraz beats Nuno Borges 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2

Alexander Zverev (2) beats Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 6-4

Thanks Jonathan and hello everyone, Joey Lynch here to take you through the next few hours of tennis, hours that will soon begin with Carlos Alcaraz (3) and Alexander Zverev (2) moving into the fourth round.

Alcaraz has just held serve and can now break Nuno Borges to advance.

Alcaraz climbs all over the Borges second serve to turn 30-0 into 30-40. The break looks on but the Portuguese executes a superb lob that the third seed is unable to return with an attempted ‘tweener. Borges holds but Alcaraz remains a break up in this fourth set.

Mirra Andreeva (14) beats Magdalena Frech (23) 6-2 1-6 6-2

Borges is increasingly exasperated as his errors invite Alcaraz to challenge his serve. The Spaniard fails on three separate occasions to put the match to bed as the wind starts to pick up on Rod Laver Arena. A couple of loose returns allow the Portuguese to hold. It doesn’t improve his mood though as his grumpiness extends to a little whinge at the chair umpire over the serve clock.

The third seed then races through an easy hold to love to move up 4-1 and within touching distance of the fourth round.

Jakub Menšík is now two sets up on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Alcaraz holds to love in a hurry to move 3-0 up in the fourth set. Borges bounces his racket on Rod Laver Arena in frustration. You can hardly blame him.

After letting Borges back into the match Alcaraz does his best to up the tempo at the start of the fourth set, racing to an easy hold then grinding for 30-30 on his opponent’s serve. A superb 19-shot rally goes the Portuguese’s way, and he should finish off the hold but Alcaraz somehow recovers the put-away and manages to clip the baseline with a miraculous winner.

The grunts from the third seed materialise as he pushes for a break, turning deuce to advantage – then sealing the break with an unbelievable feat of athleticism! After chasing down a drop shot he spins to recover the resulting lob, then hits a 180 degree spinning leaping blind forehand that dips unreturnably on Borges. What a point. What a game. And after a slow start, what a match this is turning out to be!

Alexander Zverev (2) might have been broken by Jacob Fearnley in that second set, but the German broke the Briton twice to move up two sets to love.

BORGES WINS THE THIRD SET! Alcaraz finally concedes a set in this year’s Australian Open. The third seed won just 31% of points on his second serve and his unforced error-to-winner count leapt. Borges just kept on keeping on and earned his reward.

Borges breaks to inch ahead 4-2 in the tiebreak. Could Alcaraz be about to concede his first set of the tournament?

Superb defence from Borges to keep the tiebreak at 2-2 on serve despite some massive hitting from Alcaraz, working his opponent side to side on forehand and back.

Borges pushes Alcaraz to 30-30 with the Spaniard serving to stay in the set at 5-6. The third seed then fails to come forward quickly enough to put away a volley at the net and the Portuguese has a set point! And a second serve to attack… only to tap his return tamely into the net and pull his cap over his face in frustration. That was a massive missed opportunity.

Alcaraz then serves out the game on the back of two drop shots. The first a delicate floater, the second setting up a backhand smash.

Time for a tiebreak.

Magdalena Frech (23) has levelled things with Mirra Andreeva (14). They’re heading for a deciding third set for the right to take on Aryna Sabalenka in the next round.

Jacob Fearnley has broken back to return the second set with Alexander Zverev (2) on serve. The German won the opening set.