There’s so much happening at the Australian Open. It can be tough to keep up!
We round up the best, wildest and most talked-about moments every day of the AO, all in one place, bite-sized and easy to catch up on - so you never miss a moment.
Best shot – Andrey Rublev
A three-time AO quarterfinalist, Andrey Rublev displayed scintillating groundwork, power and reflexes all in the same point against Jaime Faria in the second round.
Best quotes (it's a tie) – Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev
Also on Wednesday, world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz edged out Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets. Asked how he’d spent his days away from competition, the Spaniard revealed he’d squeezed in a round of golf with Roger Federer.
“As beautiful as his tennis,” Alcaraz smiled, describing Federer’s swing.
Rublev, meanwhile, had a far simpler plan between matches: “Coffee, sleep, coffee, sleep, practice and sleep. That’s it.”
Best behind-the-scenes – Marat Safin
Whether he’s getting Andrey Rublev match-ready, competing in the 1-Point Slam or challenging Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to a treadmill-off in the gym, Marat Safin somehow always steals the scene. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing - Safin just has an aura.
The AO 2005 champion also linked up with Federer while he was in Melbourne.
Best story – Zeynep Sonmez
The story continues, one step at a time, for Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez. The No.112-ranked qualifier defeated Anna Bondar in the second round to become the first player from her country to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles event in the Open era.
Court 7 had plenty of Turkish support, an atmosphere Sonmez said helped get her over the line.
“I felt like I was at home. I was feeling the energy. It was really unreal. I really, really appreciate it. I felt very good on the court. I really felt the support, and I felt like we were all playing together.”
Best stat – Aryna Sabalenka
With another straight-sets win in Round 2 over Bai Zhuoxuan, Aryna Sabalenka has won 45 of her last 50 sets in singles at Melbourne Park.
In the Open era, only four women have bettered that stat: Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf.
“That sounds crazy and surreal, to be honest. Just never thought that people would compare me to these names, even though I'm really far away from their achievements,” Sabalenka said post-match.
“It sounds incredible… it motivates me to keep doing my thing. It just means for me that I'm on the right way.”