by The Australian Open continues as Novak Djokovic faces a tough test against Tomas Machac and Jack Draper looks to face Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.
But Jacob Fearnley’s debut run is over after the 23-year-old Scot was beaten in straight sets by second seed Alexander Zverev, who is yet to drop a set in Melbourne.
British interest in the men’s singles now lies with Draper, who faces another hostile crowd when he takes on Australian Aleksandar Vukic after surviving a marathon test against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Djokovic, meanwhile, has dropped sets against inexperienced opponents such as Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria, so the 24-time Grand Slam champion expects an even tougher challenge against Machac, a player who defeated him in their last meeting.
In women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka continued her winning streak at the Australian Open while Coco Gauff battles Leylah Fernandez, but two-time champion Naomi Osaka is out after forfeiting her match against Belinda Bencic.
Follow all the latest scores and results from Melbourne Park below:
Latest scores and results from the Australian Open
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The third round of the Australian Open begins in Melbourne
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Jacob Fearnley was beaten in straight sets by second seed Alexander Zverev
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Jack Draper faces another Australian favorite: Aleksandar Vukic
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After his victory over Nuno Borges, Carlos Alcaraz expects the winner in the fourth round
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Novak Djokovic faces Czech seed Tomas Machac at Rod Laver Arena
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Aryna Sabalenka reaches the fourth round despite a shaky victory
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Naomi Osaka had to give up against Belinda Bencic after the first set
Australian Open *Novak Djokovic 3-1 Tomas Machac
08:37 , Jamie Braidwood
It was a difficult day to serve in Melbourne, with a breeze blowing through Rod Laver Arena.
For the second game in a row, Machac is 0-30 on serve and will once again face break points as Djokovic jumped in on the forehand after the Czech’s net shot.
Djokovic catches the line on the return, but Machac saves with excellent hands at the net.
But on the fifth opportunity, Djokovic takes the chance when Machac nets with his backhand.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic 2:1 Tomas Machac*
08:33 , Jamie Braidwood
Machac comes to the net and fires a volley into the open court to bring Djokovic’s serve to 30-30.
But he can’t do enough to force the break point. Instead, Djokovic holds with the backhand winner down the line.
However, Machac has shown enough in three games to suggest it will be just as hard-fought as many thought.
Australian Open: *Novak Djokovic 1-1 Tomas Machac
08:28 , Jamie Braidwood
Incredible recovery from Machac! It seemed like he was sinking into a horror opening service game that left the score at 0-40 after netting.
But Machac saves all three, and does so in style. He shows wonderful athleticism to hit a Djokovic drop shot and find the angled pick-up on the third break point.
He stops from there. Excellent start from Machac.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic 1-0 Tomas Machac*
08:24
Is this a hint of what’s to come? Machac puts Djokovic on the defensive in a six-minute opening service game, with competitive exchanges in the baseline rallies from the start.
Djokovic has it in hand but has to work for it when Machac drifts off a long return.
Australian Open: *Novak Djokovic 0-0 Tomas Machac
08:17 , Jamie Braidwood
Tomas Machac had a breakthrough last season, with his straight sets victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Shanghai quarter-finals being the highlight. He also defeated Djokovic in the Geneva semifinals.
But he lost to Jack Draper in the round of 16 of the US Open and played an absolute horror. The 24-year-old is yet to make a breakthrough at the Grand Slams, but this is his chance.
Djokovic will serve first.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic vs. Tomas Machac
08:10 , Jamie Braidwood
Let’s go! The players are outside in Rod Laver Arena. Novak Djokovic needs to be at his best today, assuming the extremely strong Tomas Machac shows up.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez will begin their duel at Margaret Court Arena. It’s a tasty match between two of the smartest players in the game.
Australian Open: Jacob Fearnley on the defeat against Alexander Zverev
07:57
Jacob Fearnley had no complaints after leaving the Australian Open with a straight sets defeat to Alexander Zverev, as the Scot reflected on another breakthrough week.
“Extremely good opponent,” Fearnley said of Zverev, who won 6:3, 6:4, 6:4. “I thought I played good tennis, some good moments, some bad moments.
“I don’t think there was too much in it. Just a few points here and there. I think that’s what these top people do so well. They remain calm and their basic level remains the same throughout the game. I had a lot of ups and downs, which I think cost me the match.
“Obviously an extremely, extremely good week for me. An incredible tournament. I look forward to coming back in the future.”
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic vs. Tomas Machac
07:43 , Jamie Braidwood
Novak Djokovic faces his biggest test of the Australian Open yet when he takes on Tomas Machac at Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic has so far dropped sets against inexperienced opponents such as American wildcard player Nishesh Basavareddy and Portuguese Jaime Faria.
And the 24-time Grand Slam champion expects another step up when he takes on Machac, who won their last meeting in Geneva last season.
Machac also won last season against Andy Murray, who is now on Djokovic’s bench.
The start takes place from 8am GMT.
When will Jack Draper play Aleksandar Vukic at the Australian Open?
07:31 , Jamie Braidwood
So it could be Carlos Alcaraz next for Jack Draper as the British number 1 attempts to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time
But Draper is playing another Australian in Aleksandar Vukic after surviving a five-set thriller against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Draper overcame the hostile atmosphere and “abuse” from the home fans to beat Kokkinakis in the longest match of the 23-year-old’s career.
But Draper said the cheering home crowd actually boosted his energy and made him play better against Kokkinakis.
Vukic, 28, will reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and the world number 67 will have the support of the crowd if he wants to continue his run.
He is one of two Australian players still taking part in the tournament – along with eighth seed Alex de Minaur.
When will Draper play Vukic at the Australian Open and how can I watch it on TV?
Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz drops the set but advances
07:26
Carlos Alcaraz dropped his first set at the Australian Open, but the Spaniard quickly managed to beat Nuno Borges and reach the third round.
Alcaraz quietly goes about his business in Melbourne as the Spaniard attempts to become the youngest player to win all four Grand Slams at 21.
He survived a third-round duel against the Portuguese Borges 6:2, 6:4, 6:7(3), 6:3.
Alcaraz has advanced to the fourth round where he will face either British number 1 Jack Draper or Australian hopeful Aleksandar Vukic.
Australian Open: Naomi Osaka is eliminated against Belinda Bencic
07:15 , Jamie Braidwood
A tough end to Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open. The former world number 1 has to give up against Belinda Bencic at the end of the first set.
Osaka led 5-2 in the first set but began struggling with her stomach and took painkillers after calling the physiotherapist to the court.
Bencic came back to force the tiebreak and won the decider 7-3 before Osaka decided to shake hands at the net.
Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka continues after a shaky victory
07:10 , Jamie Braidwood
Aryna Sabalenka dismissed concerns about her serve after beating Carla Tauson 7-6, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.
The match at Rod Laver Arena began with seven consecutive breaks of serve, with the world No. 1 struggling with the conditions at Rod Laver Arena.
“After a few games, the balls became a lot heavier and it’s difficult to serve aggressive, powerful serves, so you just try to direct the serve somehow and start building up the rallies,” Sabalenka said.
“Tauson took it very well and so did I, so it was a rather unusual game. Thank God I managed to overcome the conditions.”
Jacob Fearnley bowed out of the Australian Open in straight sets
07:05 , Eleanor Crooks
Jacob Fearnley’s great Australian Open debut ended with a straight-sets defeat to second seed Alexander Zverev in the third round.
The Scot continues to handle the upper levels of professional football with ease and did not look out of place against one of the tournament favorites at Margaret Court Arena.
But he was unable to put sustained pressure on Zverev, who cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory in two hours and two minutes.
Fearnley scored slightly more winners, with his forehand constantly causing problems for Zverev, but there were also 34 unforced errors, compared to just 15 for the German.
Nonetheless, it was an excellent week for Fearnley, who defeated Nick Kyrgios and the Australian crowd in the first round before coming back from a set down to beat Arthur Cazaux in round two.
Jacob Fearnley bowed out of the Australian Open in straight sets
