There were smiles all-round when Storm Hunter defeated world No.40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4 6-4 on Day 2 of Australian Open 2026.
The straight-set win was a slow burn start for the Australian, as Bouzas Maneiro secured the first two games within five minutes. But after finding herself down 3-0 in the first set and 4-1 in the second set, it was as though something for Hunter clicked into place.
“[Bouzas Maneiro]’s a quality player, hits a very good ball,” Hunter related. “I knew I could rush her with the pace of my shots. So, for me, I just felt like I had to really focus on my serve first and try and put pressure on [her] with my serve, and then I can dictate the points out of that.
“That was the biggest thing. To get 4-1 down in the second [set], I just gave her a little bit of rhythm, and she was able to take control. So, I just had to go back to not giving her rhythm, try and control the points on my terms.”
Following Hunter into the second round were Priscilla Hon and Jordan Thompson, the latter who rebounded from the loss of the first set to beat Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo in four.
Alex de Minaur also progressed, the No.6 seed making short work of lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald at Rod Laver Arena.
READ MORE: De Minaur in a hurry as he sweeps into second round
Later, Ajla Tomljanovic won in three gritty sets at John Cain Arena while Rinky Hijikata dominated Adrian Mannarino on Court 6, making it a memorable Monday for the Aussies at Melbourne Park.
Hunter wins fourth straight match at AO 2026
With Bouzas Maneiro committing 24 forced errors against Hunter’s 18, the Australian’s revised tactics were hitting the mark.
A year ago, the 31-year-old thought her time playing singles tennis was over. An Achilles rupture in 2024 forced Hunter to press pause on her playing career, focusing instead on rehab and training to recover and rebuild her strength.
“That was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever gone through in my life, missing Olympics, missing the chance,” said Hunter.
While she currently sits at world No.363, this latest upset against Bouzas Maneiro is a nod to Hunter’s singles career being well and truly on the upswing. It marks her fourth career win over a top-50 player.
“You know, coming back from an Achilles rupture is really tough mentally and physically [with] all the training,” said Hunter. “And to be back here playing really good tennis … I didn't think I could be back playing at this level again.”
Through hard work and with the help of her coaching team, including coach Nicole Pratt, fitness trainer Aaron Kellett, Rohan Fisher and the support of husband Loughlin, Hunter has been able to return to the court following the career-threatening setback.
“I'm just so happy that all the hard work I've done with my team [has] paid off and I can't believe I've got another match, another singles match.”
The atmosphere at KIA Arena was electric for a Monday morning. With a green-and-gold crowd spurring her on, the Melburnian took a moment to soak it all in, leading the crowd through the Aussie-coded chant “Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi:” after her win.
“I knew I had to get [the crowd] involved a little bit, just to raise the energy and to help me,” said Hunter, who will face world No.70 Hailey Baptiste in the second round.
“And it's amazing. I don't think we have that on tour anywhere else other than here in Australia – the home support – how loud they get and how behind they get behind the local players.”
Hon advances to second round
Meanwhile, Hon was locked in a three-set battle with Marina Stakusic before the Canadian retired with injury.
Hon was commended for her sportsmanship after her opponent collapsed with cramp, helping Stakusic into a wheelchair and even keeping her leg elevated as she was wheeled her off court.
The 27-year-old, who was leading 1-6 6-4 5-3 when the match ended, will face either Iva Jovic or Katie Volynets next.
Contesting her fifth Australian Open main draw, Hon is aiming to advance to the third round of her home Slam for the first time.
Thompson revival begins, Hijikata stuns Mannarino
Meanwhile, Thompson booked a place in the second round of the Australian Open for the sixth time in his career with a 6-7(3) 7-5 6-1 6-1 victory over Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Monday.
Thompson’s ranking dropped from No.27 to his current No.111 after a challenging year managing myriad injuries – including to his right foot, groin, oblique and two separate back issues.
But with his come-from-behind win over Cerundolo – the younger brother of world No.21 Francisco Cerundolo – he can look to recover the form that saw him seeded for the first time at a Slam at AO 2025.
“Yeah, I feel great now. Obviously last year my back was no good. My calf, oblique, ab, foot. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” Thompson said with a smile.
“But now I'm feeling good. I didn't play too much last year. When I did play, I didn't really get to finish, so … it's good to get through that first match.”
As a green and gold army – complete with cork hats, Aussie flags and loud voices – cheered on their man, Thompson went on to seize all momentum, winning 12 of the last 14 games as Cerundolo struggled under the relentless pressure.
“It's just good to get through that first one and give myself another opportunity," Thompson said.
Thompson next faces Nuno Borges, who got past Felix Auger-Aliassime after the seventh-seeded Canadian was forced to retire in the fourth set due to cramps.
Spurred on by an energetic crowd on Court 6, Hijikata was also a first-round winner on Monday, the Australian wildcard claiming a 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
The 24-year-old took less than two hours to outclass Mannarino, setting a second-round assignment with No.30 seed Valentin Vacherot.
Tomljanovic powers home on the People's Court
It was a trademark gutsy performance from at Melbourne Park from Tomljanovic, who when facing a deficit, put on the afterburners to advance to the second round.
This time, she came from a set down against Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva to triumph 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 in a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours.
Locked at one-set all, Tomljanovic stood up in the crucial moments, with clean, powerful ball striking and a near-flawless first serve. The 32-year-old closed the deciding set out 6-1 to progress to the round of 64 at her home Slam for the third straight year, and the seventh time in her career.
“I’m really happy to be through. That was incredibly tough,” she said. “I feel like I had to really lift my game [from the last time they played against each other in Beijing in 2025], just fight really hard, which I did.
“I’m really relieved because I really wanted to win that one.”
The world No.78 once again played in front of a packed John Cain Arena crowd, a court assignnment the Australian No.4 relishes.
“I really am thrilled whenever I see my name on that court,” said Tomljanovic, who now has a 3-2 record on John Cain Arena. “It’s the one month where we are going to get a crowd like nowhere else.
“From the first point it was pretty packed. I’m pretty tame and don’t interact with the crowd that much. In the second set, they really helped me out. I knew if I snagged the second set, I could get them involved a bit. They loved that.”
Five days on from retiring from her second-round match in Adelaide against Maya Joint due to a pectoral injury, Tomljanovic feels that her injury was manageable during Monday's match.
“Luckily with my groundstrokes, it didn’t bother me right away. I was a bit nervous about my serving,” she said. “I probably wasn’t going at my usual pace today, but it was still fast enough to make it competitive.
“I really don’t know exactly what happened in Adelaide. It happened, but I took great care of it … I’ll see how I pull up tomorrow, but I’m confident.”
For the first time since Australian Open 1992, there will be five or more Australian women through to the second round of a major.
RELATED: four Aussies qualify for first time since 1992
Tomljanovic joins Hunter, Hon and Talia Gibson, as well as the winner of Kimberly Birrell and Maddison Inglis who are scheduled to play on Tuesday night.