Australian Open 2025: Alcaraz takes first set from Draper; Gauff beats Bencic; Sabalenka cruises – live | Australian Open 2025

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (5-7, 0-1): There’s little evidence yet of Draper’s specific ailment, but Alcaraz is determined to test it out, moving him side to side, but a couple of soft unforced errors keep things alive at 30-30. Deuce emerges blinking into the light without any great intent, before Alcaraz finds his first serve to hold and resume his ascendancy following the break in play.

Nearly ten minutes between points, but Draper is back on court.

Tommy Paul (12) beats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1

That first set lasted bang on an hour, and in searing dry heat, which is not what Draper needed following his three consecutive five-set matches.

Medical Timeout: The trainer has been called to assess Draper at the change of ends. The 15th seed is pointing to both his right quad and left hip, and leaves the court for a full assessment. Alcaraz wanders over to his box to chat to his four-strong coaching panel, led by Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Draper (15)* v Alcaraz (3) (5-7, 0-0): Alcaraz is profiting from his drop shots. He’s used the tactic often already, testing out Draper’s five-set legs, and it helps him to move up 0-30 before an unnecessarily aggressive forehand brings his opponent into the game. Draper returns the gift, hammering a routine forehand miles long to bring up two set points.

He saves the first with a rare venture to the net, but he’s powerless against one of the shots of the match so far, a running forehand pass that curves and dips wickedly past the advancing Briton. It took a couple of games longer than expected, but Alcaraz has his nose in front on Rod Laver Arena.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (5-6): Coming into this game Alcaraz has 19 unforced errors to Draper’s six, and it becomes 21 when a wild forehand goes wide for 0-30. This has been a rapid descent from the Spaniard.

Two big first serves level the scores, then Draper sends a framer high up into the bleachers and misses a second serve return. Alcaraz lets out a hearty roar in recognition of a necessary hold.

Draper (15)* v Alcaraz (3) (5-5): At the change of ends Alcaraz has a whinge at the chair umpire about when he’s starting the shot clock, complaining Fergus Murphy is pushing the button too soon considering the need to find towels in the hot conditions. His mood isn’t improved as Draper holds to 30. From 2-5 to 5-5 and now all the pressure on the Alcaraz serve.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz* (3) (4-5): Serving for the set, Alcaraz lobs down his fourth, and then fifth, double faults of the match to fall 15-30 behind. Another drop shot gets him out of jail, but an unforced error on his forehand side gifts Draper an unlikely break point. AND DRAPER BREAKS BACK when Alcaraz slices a backhand weakly into the net. That was not what I expected, but both men are serving so poorly I guess anything can happen.

Both seeds are hovering around 50% for first serves, with Alcaraz also contending with five double points.

Draper (15)* v Alcaraz (3) (3-5): Alcaraz returning serve is more aggressive and threatening than Draper serving – even with new balls. The Spaniard moves up 15-30, moving his opponent around with ease, but a couple of big first serves rescue the 15th seed. Deuce beckons with Alcaraz advancing to the net behind a powerful groundstroke, only for Draper to pull out a wonder shot, on the stretch wide to the forehand side, that becomes a crosscourt passing shot winner. He’s a fighter.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (2-5): Alcaraz moves up 30-0 with a blistering inside-out forehand, a fluid stroke that shows he’s finding his rhythm. Draper responds with a clean forehand return winner to stay in it at 40-15, then repeats the trick on the backhand side for 40-30. It’s all in vain though as the latest put-away volley consolidates the earlier break.

Alcaraz is moving through the gears. Draper has his work cut out keeping pace.

Draper* (15) v Alcaraz (3) (2-4): This match is definitely on Alcaraz’s racket. He is so aggressive returning serve and so good at moving Draper around the court, looking smooth and powerful in the process, compared to Draper’s reactive scurrying. 15-40 arrives in a flash with the third seed going through his repertoire – especially at the net – before Draper slashes a forehand wide to concede the break. This looks ominous, especially if the Spaniard can find his first serve.

Tommy Paul (12) won the opening set against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, and he’s taken the second by the same scoreline.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (2-3): This is not Ivo Karlovic v John Isner. Both men are serving under 50% at the start of this contest.

Alcaraz sends down a double fault to slide to 0-30, then another to drop to 15-40. He recovers behind a heavy first serve then a controlled baseline exchange before moving ahead. The Spaniard is eager to dominate the court, happy to come into the net and look to assert himself on his opponent. It allows him to time a beautiful drop shot, too good for Draper’s weary quads, and secure an awkward hold.

Draper* (15) v Alcaraz (3) (2-2): The Briton is really struggling to find a first serve, so he can do without Alcaraz benefitting from a net cord to move up 0-15. Then a couple of unforced errors gift the Spaniard two break points. Draper saves the first, then Alcaraz is millimetres out with an aggressive backhand return down the line.

An ace at deuce steadies the ship then a forehand winner behind the third seed confirms the second tricky hold.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (1-2): Alcaraz holds to 15. I fear for Draper and his heavy legs.

Draper (15)* v Alcaraz (3) (1-1): Draper gets to 30-15 but it could easily be 0-40 with Alcaraz on the attack from the off, only to miss his targets with a couple of near-winners. But that intensity tells on Draper who doubles faults and looks off the pace in a long rally only for Alcaraz to hit a drop shot into the net. Draper’s first first-serve doesn’t arrive until his sixth effort, but Alcaraz is ready and pounds a clean return winner, then earns break point with some beautiful hands at the net.

Draper saves the break with a high bouncing second serve, but he’s soon up against it again with Alcaraz turning defence into attack on the backhand side before thumping a forehand winner down the line.

Draper saves a second time, executing a beautifully disguised drop shot to catch Alcaraz off guard, then benefits from a couple of cheap points to exit the game. That was a real statement of intent from the third seed, but Draper gets through unscathed.

Draper (15) v Alcaraz (3)* (0-1): The third seed holds to 30 in his opening service game. Draper’s first point came courtesy of a rally repeatedly targeting the Spaniard’s backhand until he forced an error. Something to keep an eye on. There’s a double fault from Alcaraz, who wins 100% behind his first serves, but only lands 3/6.

Tommy Paul (12) has cruised to the opening set against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1.

Draper and Alcaraz are out on Rod Laver Arena warning up. Draper is all in white, Alcaraz is in teal with his massive guns out, both are sporting lemon yellow kicks that I would very much enjoy wearing.

Just a reminder that Draper has spent over six hours on court more than Alcaraz this week. All three of the 15th seed’s victories have been in five sets, whereas the third seed barely broke sweat for a couple of rounds before Nuno Borges pinches a tiebreak a couple of days ago.

The top half of the women’s draw is now down to four seeded players:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27)
Coco Gauff (3) v Paula Badosa (11)

I’ll keep that one simmering in the background, but my main focus soon will be Jack Draper (15) v Carlos Alcaraz (3). It’s a match-up Tumaini Carayol is all over.

Draper’s determination and guts have earned him a meeting with the Spaniard on one of the sport’s biggest stages. As he has shown in their previous matches, there is no doubt Draper has the weapons and athleticism to challenge Alcaraz. In 2022, a lifetime ago for both players, Alcaraz defeated Draper 7-5 in the third set indoors in Basel. After retiring from their match at Indian Wells a year later, Draper toppled Alcaraz at Queen’s last year. Draper has been the favourite in his first three matches but in Melbourne he must try to play with more freedom against the number three seed.

The only singles match on court for the time being is Tommy Paul (12) v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Margaret Court Arena. The American has broken the Spaniard’s opening service game to take the early ascendancy.

“Leave it all out there on the court,” is Coco Gauff’s parting message, and one she lived up to this afternoon.

Reflecting on the opening set the third seed was phlegmatic, focussing on the process and speaking to her box that they acknowledge she isn’t going to win every set or every match even if she plays well.

Coco Gauff (3) beats Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1

Gauff (3) v Bencic* (5-7, 6-2, 5-1): Bencic is broken to 15. Her spirit is all but extinguished. Gauff’s endurance is telling late on in these conditions.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27) beats Donna Vekic (18) 7-6 [7-0] 6-0)

Gauff (3)* v Bencic (5-7, 6-2, 4-1): Coco Gauff’s court coverage is unbelievable. Not for the first time today she is quickly onto a backhand crosscourt that would ordinarily be a clean winner, wrapping her racket around the ball and sending it back in court outside the net post, inside the umpire’s throne. Bencic can only rest her forehead on her racket and suck in the hot air, disbelieving of the athleticism on the other side of the net. The third seed holds to 30.

Gauff (3) v Bencic* (5-7, 6-2, 3-1): Both women are happy to trade forehands, unfamiliar in a tournament with a strong strategic lean to targeting the backhand wing. Each stumble in their own ways to 30-30, then Bencic swipes long to concede a break point. Jelena Dokic on commentary is concerned the Swiss is losing pace in her groundstrokes, which is not a good sign against a player with Gauff’s court coverage.

She escapes the break after Gauff fails to execute the forehand winner after a blistering backhand return, then wins the next point cheaply behind a strong first serve. An agonising net cord lands on the server’s side with a backhand down the line winner begging to be struck, and the misfortune tells a point later when Bencic this time fails to fully commit to an inside-out forehand that lands wide. Gauff is jigging on the baseline ready for the moment – and a third unforced error in a row hands the third seed the break.

That felt significant. Bencic needs a burst of energy from somewhere.

Paula Badosa (11) beats Olga Danilovic 6-1 7-6 [7-2]

Gauff (3)* v Bencic (5-7, 6-2, 2-1): Gauff moves to 0-30 with a magnificent point. Both players trade heavy forehands before the American finds an angle acuter than Moo Deng. Bencic scampers to force an extra shot in the rally but the third seed is ready to pounce. At 40-0 Gauff serves her seventh double fault of the afternoon then seals the deal behind a second serve.

Gauff (3) v Bencic* (5-7, 6-2, 1-1): Bencic holds from 30-30. This is one is a coin toss.