Tennis
Australian Open: Nadal passes the Draper test, other favorites pass
Rafael Nadal struggled against Jack Draper but prevailed 3-1 in the set. In the second round of the Australian Open are Yannick Sinner, Denis Shapovalov, Hubert Hurkacs, Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda.
Following Nick Kyrgios’ withdrawal from the Australian Open, the favorites confirmed their status in most games at the start of the first day of action on Monday in Melbourne.
As expected, Rafael Nadal had a difficult time in his Australian Open debut against rising Brit Jack Draper.
The 36-year-old Spaniard, who also appeared to be struggling with an issue with his abs, struggled but eventually prevailed 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 his left-handed opponent and reached the 2nd round of the first Grand Slam of the season where Mackenzie MacDonald was waiting for him.
The No. 1 on the board and No. 2 in the world had fluctuations in his performance but was more ready and stronger than Draper, who was unable to follow Nadal’s pace in the 4th set and was also struggling with stomach problems and cramps.
With that, Nadal scored his first win of the season after back-to-back United Cup defeats and began defending his title in Melbourne.
From there, Yannick Sinner, Denis Shapovalov, Hubert Hurkac, Karen Khachanov and Sebastian Korda easily or not got the ticket for the 2nd round of the first Grand Slam event of the year.
Yannick Sinner’s performance against the injured Kyle Edmund in the John Cain Arena was more than convincing, the 21-year-old Italian prevailed 6:4, 6:0, 6:2 in 1 hour and 56 minutes.
With 24 winners against just 10 Brits and with seven breaks out of ten, Shiner had no particular problems and qualified for the institution’s ’64’ where he will then face Argentinian Thomas Martin Etcheverry and take his own win in a 3-1 set over Gregory Barere.
Ticket to Round 2 also secured No. 10 on the board Hubert Hurkacs, who only struggled in the opening set of the match against Pedro Martines, beating the Spaniard 7-6(1) 6-2-6 . 2 in 1 hour and 50 minutes competition.
The 25-year-old Pole, ranked No. 11 in the world, hit 24 aces and 53 winners in total, taking all four break chances (4/4) without giving his opponent a break chance.
Denis Shapovalov, who is a possible opponent of Hurkacs in the 3rd round, defeated Dusan Lajovic 6:4, 4:6, 6:4, 6:1 and ended the game with 52 winners and 5/12 break points .
Finally, Karen Khachanov defeated Bernabe Zapata Mirages 7-6(3) 6-2 6-0 to start his duties in Melbourne perfectly.
SOURCE: Tennis24
Source: sport 24
Italian Lorenzo Musetti beat US representative Taylor Fritz in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Musetti, seeded fifth at the tournament, defeated ninth seed Fritz in three sets – 6:2, 7:5, 6:4. The duration of the match was 2 hours 4 minutes.
In the quarterfinals, Musetti will play Novak Djokovic (4). The Serb previously advanced to the next stage without a fight, as his Czech opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
Grand Slam Tournament. Australian Open. Melbourne (Australia). Hard. Total prize fund: about $75 million
Men. Fourth circle
Lorenzo Musetti (Italy, 5) – Taylor Fritz (USA, 9) – 6:2, 7:5, 6:4
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
American tennis player Amanda Anisimova beat Chinese Wang Xin Yu in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The meeting ended with a score of 7:6 (7:4), 6:4 in favor of the fourth racket of the world. The duration of the match was 1 hour 42 minutes.
In the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament, Anisimova will play with compatriot Jessica Pegula (6th seed).
Grand Slam Tournament. Australian Open. Melbourne (Australia). Hard. Total prize fund: about $75 million
Women. Fourth circle
Amanda Anisimova (USA, 4) – Wang Xin Yu (China) – 7:6 (7:4), 6:4
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina SvitolinaThe player, who continued his successful performance at the Australian Open 2026 in Melbourne, updated his list of achievements in his career.
The Ukrainian tennis player reached the quarter-finals of the tournament by defeating the world’s seventh racket, the “neutral” Mirra Andreeva, in two sets, 6:2, 6:4 in the 1/8 final.
This result allowed Svitolina to repeat her personal best at the Australian Open. He had previously reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne in 2015, 2016 and 2025, but stopped one step shy of the semi-finals each time. In addition, the victory over Andreeva became Elina’s 33rd victory in the Australian Open main draw. This is his best result in a Grand Slam tournament; he won the same number of matches only at Roland Garros.
It is especially important that Svitolina reached the quarter-finals without losing a single set. For the Ukrainian, this is the third such incident in Grand Slam tournaments during his career. He had previously managed to reach this stage at the 2019 and 2021 US Open without losing a set. Her victory over Andreeva also marked Svitolina’s first win of the season against a tennis player ranked in the top 10 in the world rankings, allowing her to extend her winning streak at the beginning of the year to 9 matches.
In the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2026, Svitolina will face a serious test: a match against the world’s third racket, American Coco Goff. In one-on-one matches, Goff is ahead 2:1, but the Ukrainian player’s excellent form leads to a tense match.
Performances of Elina Svitolina in Grand Slam tournaments
Svitolina at GS: Australian Open 33–12, Roland Garros 33–12, Wimbledon 22–11, US Open 24–12
PHOTOGRAPH. Elina Svitolina’s emotions after reaching the quarter-finals of the Aus Open 2026
Source: Sport UA
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