There are 12 Aussie players hitting the court on day two (all times AEDT):
Zeynep Sönmez vs Talia Gibson (WC) from 11am on Court 3, followed by James Duckworth vs Dominic Stricker. Greet Minnen vs Destanee Aiava (Q) is the final match of the day on Court 3.
Ashlyn Krueger vs Ajla Tomljanović (WC) from 11:30am on Margaret Court Arena, followed Jordan Thompson (27) vs Dominik Koepfer (Q).
Jessica Pegula (7) vs Maya Joint (WC) from 4pm on John Cain Arena. Nick Kyrgios vs Jacob Fearnley from 6pm.
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Roman Safiullin is third on Kia Arena, with Tommy Paul (12) vs Christopher O’Connell immediately after.
James McCabe (WC) vs Martin Lanaluce (Q) is second on Court 6.
Taro Daniel vs Tristan Schoolkate (WC) third on Court 7.
Aleksandar Vukic vs Damir Dzumhur not before 1:30pm on Court 13.
Centre-court action kicks off on day two with an all-American showdown
A tough first round match up is just about to start.
American and no.3 seed Coco Gauff is up against former 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Since her 2020 win, Kenin has been plagued with a big of injury and lack of confidence but did end the 2024 season on a high, with a current WTA ranking of 74.
Meanwhile, Gauff usually goes to Auckland before the Australian Open but decided to play the United Cup. She won all five matches, without dropping a set.
Last year, Gauff won the China Open and the WTA finals in Riyadh.
Gauff is in Aryna Sabalenka’s quarter of the draw setting up the prospect of a mouthwatering semi-final towards the end of next week.
Kenin leads Gauff 2-1 in their previous matches, but they haven’t played against one another since 2022.
Another Australian, Ajla Tomljanović, hits the court
Continuing her comeback from persistent injuries, which she seems to have been doing her entire career, Ajla Tomljanović is here as a wildcard.
She’s up against American Ashlyn Krueger, who beat her in Adelaide qualifying last week.
Since making three major quarterfinals in 2021 and 2022, injuries have seen Tomljanović tumbled in the rankings and she hasn’t been past the second round since the 2022 US Open.
The 31-year-old says she’s feeling good now and is ready to put a scare through the women’s draw in 2025.
Breaks galore in Aussie Talia Gibson’s first-round clash
The 20-year-old was broken in her first game by Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez but, after a 10-minute second game, she’s got it back on serve.
Sönmez was actually called for a foot fault late in the second game, but with no linespeople and everything automated, there was no-one to argue with so she just got on with it. What a welcome relief.
But it doesn’t last long on serve, with Sönmez quickly breaking back for a 2-1 lead. And the Turkish 22-year-old is the first to hold, moving to 3-1.
Seed 11 Tsitsipas is looking comfortable on court
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, who’s seeded 11th in this tournament, has won his first service game against American Alex Michelsen comfortably.
Tsitsipas served two beautiful, accurate aces down the line to finish off the game.
Both players are wearing red, so it’s a bit hard to tell who’s who on court but the American is wearing white shorts.
Michelsen also holds, we’re on serve at 2-1.
Good morning — I’m happy to be here
Who’s excited for two weeks of tennis? I know I am!
My name is Hanan, and I’m joining the Sport desk for the next couple of weeks to bring you all the action from the Australian Open.
I blogged a few days during last year’s grand slam and it was possibly the highlight of my career so far.
I’m looking forward to watching all our Aussies in action today. Especially, Kokkinakis and Kyrgios — the headline act tonight. How will he fare? Only time will tell.
Make sure to send us any questions or comments throughout the day. We want to know what you’re thinking!
Action gets underway at Melbourne Park
All the rain jackets and ponchos have been swapped for sunscreen and hats as the sun has finally started to play ball here at Melbourne Park.
The vibes are, frankly, quite high.
The sparkling wine is already pouring and selfies are being snapped out the front of Rod Laver Arena.
And the action of the day has just kicked off with Alex Michelsen from USA up against Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece at John Cain Arena.
The first Australian is on court for day two
Wildcard Talia Gibson is out on the blue alongside Turkish world number 94 Zeynep Sönmez, playing her first Australian Open.
Twenty-year-old Gibson is playing her second slam, hoping to get out of the first round for the first time.
There was a shemozzle with the coin toss and the chosen ends, and then Sönmez needed to borrow some scissors from the umpire to cut the tags off her top before play.
We’re underway now though, with Gibson serving and being broken in the very first game.
The first players on court today
Action on Margaret Court Arena doesn’t start until 11:30am AEDT, but elsewhere the play kicks off at 11am.
Here’s who’s starting us off:
John Cain Arena: Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) vs Alex Michelsen
Kia Arena: Diana Shnaider (12) vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
1573 Arena: Frances Tiafoe (17) vs Arthur Rinderknech
Court 3: Zeynep Sönmez vs Talia Gibson (Aus-WC)
Court 5: Alejandro Tabilo (23) vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Court 6: Moyuka Uchijima vs Magda Linette
Court 7: Liudmila Samsonova (25) vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Court 8: Rebecca Sramkova vs Katie Volynets
Court 12: Jakub Mensik vs Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q)
Court 13: Jodie Burrage vs Leolia Jeanjean (Q)
Court 14: Arantxa Rus vs Olga Danilovic
Court 15: Laura Siegemund vs Hailey Baptiste
Today’s ABC Tennis Podcast
Lauren Bordin had a quick glance back at day one and a long look forward at a massive day of matches on day two.
The Rod Laver schedule
This centre court schedule is absolutely STACKED.
Day two at Melbourne Park
Hello and welcome to the second day of the main draw of the Australian Open, and there are massive names in action everywhere you look.
We’ve got Coco Gauff playing 2020 winner Sofia Kenin in the Rod Laver Arena opener, followed by defending champion Jannik Sinner, and former winners Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka.
Twelve Australians will also hit the court, with Ajla Tomljanovic in the early slot and Nick Kyrgios closing out the day.
