Key events
Sure enough, Andreeva breaks in game one of set two, Sakkari’s fight now to escape the indignity of a double bagel – or beigel.
Andreeva is having her way with Sakkari, serving out for a bagel set. Sakkari is capable of much better than this, but it’ll take something significant for her to reverse or even slow her opponent’s momentum.
Elsewhere, there were straightforward progressions for Sabalenka, Gauff, Alcaraz and Rublev, likewise Svitolina and Medvedev, while in young tyro news, Mboko and Baptiste both moved on, Tien too, but Fery lost in three to Etcheverry.
Muller bangs a forehand line, and it’s long, meaning two break points to Zverev … and he takes the first, loping in to respond to a drop and sending a backhand down the line and into the corner. He leads 4-3 in the first while, back on Court 7, we’re on serve at 2-1 in the third, Norrie up on Nava by two sets to love.
Sakkari just can’t get anything going, broken a third time for 0-5. Andreeva has her ditzy, teenage persona, but make no mistake: she’s a ruthless, remorseless killer, in the best possible way.
On Laver – and I know Demon is Aussie, but Andreeva v Sakkari surely belongs on the main court – he and Medjedovic are 2-2 in set one, while Muller leads Zverev 3-2 on serve and Andreeva holds through a long game for 4-0 against Sakkari. Oh, and Parks has taken the first set off Muchova, 6-4, likewise Linette against Li, 6-3.
Bublik is all business these days – only the big two won more titles than him last season – and he now leads Fucsovics 7-5 6-4, despite coming dressed as Mendieta-era Middlesbrough.
Quiz question: where is this game?
Andreeva is all over Sakkari, uo 3-0 having seized a second break. Her first-round match with Vekic, a far better player than a no 8 seed would reasonably expect to face in round one, has got her nicely grooved, though it revealed forehand weakness – that flank was targeted by her wily opponent – and the first set will soon be hers.
Norrie is doing his thing again, upping it when he needs to for another mini-break and 6-2. I wonder if it’s a cognitive thing, because it’s not like he wasn’t trying his best when struggling earlier in the set, so it’s not an effort thing, but I guess focusing for hours at a time is hard if not impossible and there’s a kind of locked-in version that intensifies as the match does … and, as I type, he serves out to lead Nava 6-1 7-6(3) having saved two set points not that long ago.
Obviously Zverev finds an ace to restore deuce – he may be resigned to his fate of never winning a slam, but his serve remains one of the best shots in the game, and from there, he ends a long hold. And back with the breaker, Norrie has a mini-break and a 3-2 lead.
Meantime, Andreeva breaks Sakkari immediately for 1-0 in the first; Muchova and Parks are 3-3 in the first; Bublik leads Fucsovics 7-5 3-4 on serve; Muller leads Zverev 1-0 and has break point in game two; and Medjedovic is serving in the first game against De Minaur.
At 6-1 5-6, Norrie finds himself serving down set point, and a protracted rally doth ensue, featuring fearsome hitting from the back, until a backhand unloaded down the line is good enough for deuce. Then, on advantage, Norrie punishes down an ace, and we’ll now play a tiebreak.
Maria Sakkari has previously been as high as no 3 in the world. And though she’s also one of those players whose ranking you could never quite believe – see Kournikova, A – she’s made the semis of two majors and now, aged 30, properly knows her way around a tennis court
We’re almost ready to go on Laver and Court, so time to decide what to watch. I’m going to start with Sakari v Andreeva alongside Norrie on my main screen, then I’ll put Demon on another and Zverev v Muller on the fourth.
Again, Norrie raises break point … and this time he converts. He leads 6-1 4-5, and again, as looked the case in round one against Bonzi, it may get close, but he’s got enough class to do whatever the necessary turns out to be.
Now Nava saves two break points before holding for 1-6 5-2, but I don’t suppose it’s surprising seeing Norrie struggle given he’s come to work in his little pyjama suit.
Nava has just broken Norrie to trail 1-6 4-2, while Bublik has taken the first set against Fucsovics, leading 7-5 -1 on serve.
Preamble
G’day and welcome to the Australian Open 2026 – day four!
There’s an absolutely indecent quantity of glorious tennis ready to enrich our working day. The pick of the night matches on our show courts features Maria Sakkari against Mirra Andreeva, a second tough assignment for the most precocious tenniser in the world, but don’t be surprised if the wily Hamed Medjedvoci gives Alex de Minaur more trouble than seems likely.
Otherwise, Cameron Norrie leads Emilio Nava, Francis Tiafoe meets Francisco Comesana and Iva Jovic meets Priscilla Hon while, on the outside courts, we’ve plenty to keep ourselves compelled, including Alexander Bublik v Marton Fucsovics and Alexander Zverev v Alexandre Muller – the latter was superb in round one, beating Alexei Popyrin in five – along with a tricky one for Jasmine Paolini, who faces Magdalena Frech, while Karolina Muchova, a longtime favourite of this blog – and with good reason – takes on Adele Parks.
In the words of the worst chant and exhortation in sport, let’s go!
