Due to the heat expected in Melbourne tomorrow, gates will open at 9am, matches on MCA will start at 11am and at 11.30am on the RLA. The wheelchair event has been postponed for a day.

Is it only me or is Darderi looking like Gaudio? I know, crucial question here.

Musetti says that this time against Djokovic, he’ll have to have be more cold-blooded than in Athens.

This abdominal injuries epidemic in tennis, btw… What the hell. Osaka and Mensik being the most “annoying“ cases as they make us miss some pretty 🍿 matches. I said what I said: tennis should investigate its injuries numbers/nature of recent years…

6-2.2-3 Musetti vs Fritz. Trainer for Fritz to attend the tape he’s had on the left side / ab. He has the same on the right side. Also struggling with a knee. Basically, that body doesn’t agree with this at all.

Such a huge win for Svitolina here against Andreeva (6-2,6-4). Wow. Still very underrated how great of a player she is. Mirra is back to the drawing board a bit here but her start of the year remains much better signs than the end of last year.

Mboko and Jovic chatting while walking to their doubles court. Surely Vicky can give her some Sabalenka tips now ;)

Getting warmer out there, feels better!

Much colder today in Melbourne! Also smoke from nearby fires has been taking over the sky/air this morning. Mboko on the RLA for the first time, facing Sabalenka.

Victoria Mboko has joined Mirra Andreeva as a teen phenom. She and her team (Noëlle Van Lottum, Maxime Tchoutakian) here explain how they're making sure to keep feet on the ground and work at heart. tennissweetspot.substack.com/p/mboko-rise...

Trainer out for Swiatek to redo that finger tape it seems (blister?)

We could have had Swiatek - Osaka in the fourth round and right now we could get Inglis - Kalinskaya. Tennis. Iga at one set all, 6-1,1-6.

Tournament just said: left abdominal injury. Damn same injury than last year.

Osaka just withdrew from her third round against Inglis. Posted it on IG, not giving details about the injury.

Victoria Mboko has joined Mirra Andreeva as a teen phenom. She and her team (Noëlle Van Lottum, Maxime Tchoutakian) here explain how they're making sure to keep feet on the ground and work at heart. tennissweetspot.substack.com/p/mboko-rise...

Sinner said he received no treatment when he left the court as it’s not allowed. He was alone lying down, trying to stretch and relax the muscles.

Sinner says past experiences with cramping helped him to know his body better when it happened again today. Said he got lucky the roof was put on. Doesn’t know why it happened again today, adds that he didn’t sleep well last night so maybe it didn’t help.

That heat is still ridiculous out there omg

Mertens played such a clean match against Bartunkova. Also one of her best service performances in recent memory. Experience paid off!

Who needs to run!? Not Jannik Sinner. Mad respect for what he did, really. He suffered and suffered in silence, no drama, no whining, no shouting at the box, nothing.He just stayed out there and suffered all the way to the win.That 5.0 also hit at the last moment to save him! Spizzirri’s nerves too.

Sinner not sitting down here. Tried to stay moving… 5-4 on serve to pull some great escape.

That was such a GTFO forehand. I laughed. #Sinner

3-1 down but now 4-3 up with a BHDTL that has broken Spizzirri’s brain during that last game. Sinner is really showing how strong he can be mentally because he’s really not looking comfy out there but gosh he fights. Long way to good till.

Mertens and Bartunkova can thank Musetti and Machac to have played so long that the roof is now on that John Cain Arena.

Sinner is literally barely able to run. Don’t be mad at the guy who’s refusing to give up. Be wtf at the guy who’s unable to hit through someone who can barely run. Except retiring, not sure what Sinner can do to help Spizzirri more… 10’ break as Sinner closed it out now.

Sinner, run-less now up two sets to one. Still looks like Bambi if Bambi was regularly kicked in the joints. If he pulls that out it’ll be some kind of efforts + some kind of maddening one for Spizzirri. Like, why did he stop the drop shots??

The key to regularly beat Sinner? Global warming.

0-30 but Sinner again stays alive. 4-4. Trying to win that one without running…

Trainer back for Sinner: massaging his thighs.

Sinner still looking like Bambi if Bambi had been kicked in the joints but somehow he holds for 3-3.

Sinner breaks back by opting for the only solution right now: hitting winners. Stretching these legs, not sitting down at changeover. He needs a miracle as big as last Wimbledon’s right now.

Roof being put on RLA

Cahill rushing behind Sinner backstage. Can heat rule save Sinner or is it too late? Seriously he messed it up losing that first set… Still confirming that Jannik and the heat are giving early-Novak and the heat…

We’re at 5 in the heat index.

That first set is really coming back to haunt Sinner…

We’re at 4.9 in AO heat index. At 5, they’re suspending the play. Omg Sinner can barely walk… It’s giving Shanghai.

Sinner is starting to stretch from everywhere. Right arm, legs… Cramping?

Trainer out for Sinner. Gets a very quick calves massage…

4-6,6-3 but Sinner still looking like the struggle bus. Cahill has been up on his feet to cheer on him more in two sets than in usually two weeks. And Jannik has been showing the first more in the sets than maybe in whole 2025.

Spizzirri is onto something. Btw with going for short angles early in the points. He’s been putting Sinner’s footwork in panic mode.

Ace to get back to 40A. DF to face break point against. Ace to erase it. Sinner today…

Sinner when under pressure today is making all the wrong decisions… It’s been a while… Also that FH ain’t finding the needed depth to make its usual difference.

Sinner can’t find a way to hit through Spizzirri is a sentence I’m writing right now… 6-4,1-0 break for Spizzirri.

Sinner is a bit of a mess right now… Was up 2-0 and then 4-2 but lost his drive each time. 4-3 now vs Spizzirri.

Machac losing his mind a bit after going up a break twice vs Musetti 7-5, 3-1 then 7-5, 4-2 without being able to confirm it. 4-4.

Gosh it’s already pretty hot out there in Melbourne!

Muchova said she and Groeneveld are on a trial event here. He came to Prague to see it’d click with her and her team and it did. Side note: She and Bartunkova are from the same club, and, I mean, maybe France could move a tennis center nearby or something? Clearly they know things.

6-2,7-6(3) for Jovic (18yo) vs Paolini! Was up 6-2,4-2 with two break points for 5-2, then served twice for it at 5-4 and 6-5. Got some cold nerves in the end. That backhand’s gonna be her money maker but that FH is less far behind than one might think. Already such a solid player. Next:Putintseva.

AO to start at 10.30am tomorrow due to the heat coming our way.

Marat Safin at an Australian Open… Oh, remember 2005…