Raducanu v Wang, Dimitrov v Kokkinakis, Ostapenko v Tomljanovic: Australian Open – live

Brilliant from Yafan Wang! She plays a fantastic game under pressure to break back, but the way Raducanu’s been attacking her serve, she’s not out of the woods yet. But she leads 6-4 4-5.

A decent slice from Raducanu incites Wang to net a backhand, and Raducanu has set point. But Wang sticks in there really well, a flat forehand prompting the error. This is a proper battle now, and we’ve got the same on Court where Cazaux has survived his first break point of the match to lead Rune 7-6 3-1. Rune is not enjoying himself.

Rybakina started slowly against Pliskova and she’s done the same against Blinkova, who leads 2-1 with a break. Raducanu, meanwhile, is on one, raising three more break points at 4-6 4-3; Wang saves the first with a booming forehand, then the second too … but after a sapping rally, Raducanu sends a forehand winner cross-court! This is a terrific match, and the 2021 US Open champ will now serve for set two at 5-3, having trailed by a break and break point. Tremendous behaviour.

Raducanu is all over Wang now, making 0-30, and though Wang fights back, a big forehand raises break point. Wang, though, does well to hold for 6-4 3-3, while Cazaux has just broken rune to lead 7-6 2-0!

Go on Arthur Cazaux! He taken the breaker to four, and the number eight seed is under pressure from the 21-year-old wildcard! He’s a proper unit, Cazaux, and you can tell he fancies the job.

On Laver, Rybakina and Blinkova are warming up;; when they get going, I’ll switch from Dimitrov 6-3 2-0 Kokkinakis to them.

Rune and Cazaux are playing a first-set breaker, Cazaux with the mini-break at 4-1, while Raducanu is giving Wang plenty now, and they’re fighting through deuces … until two banging forehands seal the break-back! She was a set and a break down, now it’s 2-2 in the second, and this match is extremely alive.

Email! “With fat too much time on my hands,” says Simon Wylie, “I couldn’t help notice you wrote very eloquently ‘ooof marone’ when describing Wang. “That’s what you might think you hear when watching The Sopranos but (and here’s the pedant in me) it’s actually ‘ooof madone’ a derivation or reduction of Oh Madonna Mia.”

Yup, it’s a typo I’m afraid, R and D being diagonally adjacent on the keyboard; R and T are also proximate (smiley face). It’s unfortunately an occupational hazard, but far from my worst infraction; consider what might go wrong with “he plays a gorgeous cut-shot”!

Dimitrov now leads Kokkinakis by a set and a break, 6-3 1-0. I’m really enjoying his late-career blossoming – remember the Baby Fed days? – and though I doubt he makes a Slam final or anything, on a good day he’s more than capable of taking out someone expecting to. Back on Court, meanwhile, Rune and Cazaux are level at 5-5, and it’s a struggle for number eight seed.

Raducanu battles for a massive hold, saving double-break point and sealing the game with a brilliant forehand winner cross-court. She’s still in big trouble, trailing 4-6 1-2, but she’s trying to find herself.

Wang is so much better than Raducanu now, breaking her for 6-4 1-0, while Dimitrov has just taken the first set off Kokkinakis 6-3. On Court, Rune and Cazaux are 4-4, while Svitolina is up a set and a break against Tomova.

Boris Becker is in the Eurosport studio and, now that you ask, I met him over Christmas in Accra, then two minutes later bumped into Wendell Pierce. More news as I get it.

Let’s round up today’s action so far

Jerry Shang beats Sumit Nagal 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-4

Excellent from Wang, who serves out to love and finishes the set with a wrongfooting backhand, from on her haunches, that sums up the set. She leads Raducanu 6-4.

Raducanu is warming up, taking back a break and holding to love; Wang leads her 5-4 in the first.

Next on Laver: Elena Rybakina (3) v Anna Blinkova.

And Shang has broken, so he now leads by 4-3 and by two sets to love. He’s 18, lefty, Chinese – though spent a lot of time in America – and has insane quantities of talent and attitude. And as I type, out of nowhere he leaps into a forehand down the line that doesn’t hit the corner or even get that close, but is hit so flat and hard that no one, never mind Nagal is getting near it.

Wang is giving Raducanu a going-over, up 5-2 in the first and generally having her way, while Dimitrov leads Kokkinakis 4-1. I think, though, that I’m going to get Shang on, because he is a potential superstar.

The way Alcaraz finished that, oof marone. Sonego played really well, as he acknowledges, and it was tough to play your best in the wind. But he thinks the two of them “made some good points” and “it was a good match”. Today was his 200th match on tour – he’s 20! – and being the killer that he is, Alcaraz says he’s got 200 wins, and wants to make 300. I much prefer the trainers he wears post-match than the one he wears during it, because yes, he changed.

Carlos Alcaraz (2) beats Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 (3)6-7 6-3 7-6(3)

Alcaraz whams a fine return to the back, but Sonego picks it up well and the attempted winner goes long. No matter three more match points are to come, the first two on serve.

Alcaraz has been so aggressive at the business end of this set and now leads 5-2 … 6-2, Sonego caught by one that bounces deep and flicking a forehand riposte long. Four match points…

A massive serve from Alcaraz and that’s 3-0; he wants out of there. Years ago, I remember footballers talking about looking across the tunnel to see either Man United’s 93-94 team, or Arsenal’s 98-04 teams, and thinking man, look at the size of them. I’m not sure if that’s why Alcaraz is in vast, but he’s in absolutely ludicrous shape, and he doesn’t mind who knows about it. He leads 4-2.

On Court, Holger Rune the number eight seed, and Arthur Cazaux, a wild card, are knocking up; Alcaraz serves out to love, and we’ll now have another breaker, Sonego having taken the previous one easily. But the number two seed might just’ve hit a seam these last two games, so I fancy him to nick this one … and backhand down the line means an immediate mini-break.

Sonego wallops down a service winner, and Alcaraz must now serve to stay in set three while, on Cain, Dimitrov has played a lovely leaping volley to break Kokkinakis for 3-1.

And Wang breaks Raducanu for 2-1 then, well, goodness me. Alcaraz hoists a fine lob, Sonego does superbly to leap and deflect a backhand overhead towards the sideline … then Alcaraz dematerialises a backhand winner down the line and through the gap between umpire’s chair and net, a shot so luminous Sonego applauds. And he’s under a spot of pressure as another Alcaraz winner leaves him serving at 5-5 40-30.

So, what to watch? I’m on Raducanu 1-1 Wang, Sonego 4-6 7-6(3) 3-6 5-5 Alcaraz and Dimitrov 2-1 Kokkinakis.

Preamble