Jack Draper v Carlos Alcaraz LIVE: Australian Open 2025 scores and updates plus Djokovic v Lehecka

We’re underway here, Alcaraz already finding a groove with his heavy serve…

The No.2 seed is backing Draper up and the Briton is wayward with his aggressive return on the forehand.

But a double fault hands Draper a route back into the game, just one more game point for the Spaniard. He finds a pinpoint first serve and Draper, off balance after returning, can only net after a thumping forehand into the corner catches him off guard. 1-0.

Elsewhere in Melbourne, Tommy Paul has raced into a one-set lead over Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The American takes the first set 6-1.

Remember, here, Draper has a 2-1 head-to-head record over his illustrious opponent.

The players are at the net… Both looking confident and posing for a picture.

Jack Draper wins the toss and allows Carlos Alcaraz to serve first… The Spaniard replicates the iconic sprint to the baseline from Rafa Nadal.

They’ll hit now before we get underway…

Carlos Alcaraz looks relaxed in his warm-up in the dressing room before taking on Jack Draper.

His coaches are dropping what look like hockey balls from either hand and Alcaraz must react to catch the ball before it hits the ground.

There are about seven or eight team members in the locker room. We’re about five minutes away from Alcaraz and Draper taking to court…

“It’s crazy to be amongst an insane stat line as legends,” Gauff says, after her eighth win in nine Grand Slam matches to go three sets and now just the fifth player ever to start a season off with nine wins.

“There’s a lot to go to accomplish my goal. I’m happy with how I performed.

“We worked hard in the off season. Every time I lose the first set I think about my Dad telling me, ‘you’ve got to get some fight in you’.

“I leave it all out on the court. We have a saying, ‘give the best you have on the day’, sometimes you win, sometimes you do. I know who I play next.”

Coco Gauff is through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after victory over three sets against Belinda Bencic.

She races through the third and final set, prevailing 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Draper v Alcaraz is up next on court in Rod Laver Arena…

Stefanos Tsitsipas remembered a different time. “I had a fresher mind back then, it seemed like I was hungrier,” Tsitsipas said, as he seemed to contemplate his career, his life, and everything in between. “I’ve been quite well established in the last couple of years,” he continued. “I have seen the game. I’ve done the tour over and over again, the same circle of tournaments and events.”

At the age of 26, Tsitsipas sounded as if he had suddenly woken up to find himself in a midlife crisis. In reality, the world No 12 and two-time grand slam finalist had just lost in the opening round of the Australian Open, suffering a shock defeat to the 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen. It was also the second grand slam in a row where the Greek had lost in the first round.

Except, that didn’t seem to be the reason for his dejection. In his press conference after the defeat, Tsitsipas made some peculiar statements. Among them, he said he is a “better player” now than when he reached World No 3 in the rankings four years ago. Or when he was beating Roger Federer in the Australian Open fourth round at the age of 20. In any case, his recent results would disagree.

Rather, Tsitsipas was hit with the realisation that a new generation might have caught up with him. Across the net, Michelsen was now the up-and-coming 20-year-old, thriving on the big stage to take out the higher-ranked opponent.

Jack Draper is a big underdog and 8/1 to win the last 16 contest.

Alcaraz meanwhile is 1/16 to prevail here. The winner will take on the winner of Novak Djokovic v Jiri Lehecka.

The Spaniard is still the second favourite outright for the tournament in Melbourne at 5/2, while Jannik Sinner is evens and a clear favourite to defend his title.

If you think Draper can emerge from today and potentially knock off Djokovic, now coached by his friend Sir Andy Murray, before going on to win his maiden Grand Slam, you can get odds of 100/1.

Good morning to tennis fans in the UK, Draper v Alcaraz is third on Rod Laver Arena today.

Draper and Alcaraz will take to court after Gauff and Bencic, which is currently in the third set, with the American No.3 seed a game up and on serve after the pair shared a set apiece.

So it looks like Draper v Alcaraz might get underway at around 5am GMT at this rate.