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Incredible scenes on Kia. Zheng, a qualifier making his tour-level debut, announces himself to the world! The word says he’s a serious talent – they said that about Korda once – and he faces Moutet next, a match that is difficult but not unwinnable. Already, I can’t wait for that.
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Strewth, stone the crows, g’day and welcome to the Australian Open 2026 – day one!
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January gets a bad rep and with good reason, but when we really think about it, can we really complain about Masters snooker, Mini Eggs, and the first grand slam of the year? Exactly.
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Already today, Arthur Fery has beaten the no 20 seed Flavio Coboli, Cameron Nofrrie is on court now, likewise Francis Tiafoe, and to come, we’ve Sasha Bublik, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz … and Venus Expletive Williams! It may be dark outside, but inside, we’ve the brightest sunshine; here we go.
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Key events
Yet more harsh reality for Rakotomanga, broken for 4-6 0-2, and Sabalenka is cruising now, while Bonzi is all over Norrie, serving for 1-1 5-1.
On Court, Bublik has broken in set two to lead Brooksby 6-4 2-1. The winner meets Faucsovics.
Yup, Sabalenka hits deep, Rakotomanga hits long, and the champ leads 6-4.
Norrie nets, Bonzi breaks, and leads 1-1 2-1. Rakotomanga, meanwhile, lefty, 20 and French having been born in Madagascar, might just be putting the world on notice. She clouts a forehand winner cross-court, raising game-point, but then Sabalenka really opens shoulder on a backhand, putting away the volley for set point. Could this be a lesson in harsh reality?
Sabalenka now leads Rakotomanga 5-4; Bonzi, having held for 1-1 1-1, now has 0-40 on the Norrie serve.
Back on Laver, Bublik has taken the first set against Brooksby 6-4. It’s quite strange watching him behave in sensible manner, managing a routine win, but that’s what he’s doing – for now, at least.
Francis Tiafoe (29) beats Jason Kubler 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2
Tiafoe, another who hasn’t got as good as we thought he might, is into round two. Next for him, it’s Comesana.
Michael Zheng beats Sebastian Korda 6-4 6-3 3-6 (0)6-7 6-3
Incredible scenes on Kia. Zheng, a qualifier making his tour-level debut, announces himself to the world! The word says he’s a serious talent – they said that about Korda once – and he faces Moutet next, a match that is difficult but not unwinnable. Already, I can’t wait for that.
Bonzi races in, puts away a sliced volley, and he levels the match with Norrie at a set apiece. Both men are playing well, so we should be in for fun in the next couple of hours.
Nozza, as I’m sure his mates call him, saves two set points while, on Laver, we’re still on serve at 4-3 Sabalenka. Rakotomanga is doing really nicely.
All that work from Norrie and Bonzi races to 5-0 … oooh, and a double takes it to 6-0. This is going to be a struggle, and we’re here for it.
“Can someone just put on Pacific 707 and be done with it?”
Again – in less spectacular style but nevertheless – Norrie restores deuce and, as I type, serves out to secure a breaker at 6-0 6-6. If he wins it, he breaks the back of the match, but if he loses it, it’s a proper ruckus.
Rakotomanga Rajaonah is holding her own against Sabalenka, down 2-3 on serve; Bublik leads Brooksby 4-2; and Norrie is down two further set points.
And Norrie secures his hold for 6-0 5-5; he showed some serious stones there, playing beautifully under pressure. Sabalenka, meanwhile, holds for 2-1, and she’s settled into her defence.
And have a look! A glorious forehand winner, hauled cross-court, is backed up by another down the line, the swinging leftiness doing the business, but Bonzi soon has advantage, retrieved by some delightful anticipation at the net, a backhand volley, on the stretch, restoring deuce.
Er yeah. Rakotomanga Rajaonah is broken back immediately for 1-1 in the first, while Norrie is down 15-40 and two set points against Bonzi.
I’m not sure why, but I can’t get commentary on Bublik v Brooksby, which isn’t helpful, but Bublik leads 3-1; Tiafoe is up a break in set three, so at 4-2 is only two games away from seeing off Kubler; Zheng leads Korda by a break at 4-3 in the fifth; and Norrie is up a set on Bonzi, but serving to stay in the second at 4-5.
We’re away on Laver, Sabalenka in dayglo straight out of 1989 … and Rakotomanga Rajaonah immediately makes 0-30 on her serve. Oh! And when the champ swats a backhand long, she’s down three break points! All three are saved, but then the underdog raises a fourth on advantage, thrashes a deep return, and Sabalenka nets a forehand! Rakotomanga Rajaonah need only hold five times and she’s a set up! Er yeah, let’s see…
OK, we’ve got eyes on Court, where Brooksby is serving in game one. Bublik, long known as a maverick whose immaturity prevented him from realising the full extent of his athletic and technical talent, might’ve enjoyed a surprise breakthrough last term. In Paris, he beat De Minaur and Draper in making the last eight, beat Sinner in winning Halle, and made round four in New York, where Sinner took his revenge. He breaks immediately, and seems to have finally decided that he wants to be a tennis player.
We’re out on Laver, but for some reason the link to Court takes us Norrie, now up 6-0 3-3; I’m working on a workaround.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, is ready to come out on to court. She is, of course, the favourite to complete her hat-trick, but we might just be getting to a point in women’s tennis where we’ve got several serious contenders for each major: Sabalenka, of course, but also Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and perhaps Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina. Afrer years of all sorts taking slams, it’s now terrifyingly intense at the top.
On 1573 Arena, Norrie has taken the first set off Benjamin Bonzi 6-0 and just struggled to a hold for 1-1 in the second; on Cain, Francis Tiafoe, seeded 29, leads Jason’ Kubler, the Australian qualifier, 7-6 5-3; on Kia, Seb Korda and Michael Zheng are playing a deciding set; and on Laver and Court respectively, we’ll soon have Sabalenka v Tiantso Rakotomanga Rajaonah and Bublik, now up to 10, against Jenson Brooksby.
Mini Eggs, though. Absolute art.
Preamble
Strewth, stone the crows, g’day and welcome to the Australian Open 2026 – day one!
January gets a bad rep and with good reason, but when we really think about it, can we really complain about Masters snooker, Mini Eggs, and the first grand slam of the year? Exactly.
Already today, Arthur Fery has beaten the no 20 seed Flavio Coboli, Cameron Nofrrie is on court now, likewise Francis Tiafoe, and to come, we’ve Sasha Bublik, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz … and Venus Expletive Williams! It may be dark outside, but inside, we’ve the brightest sunshine; here we go.