It was the perfect day at the office for the sport’s popular power couple Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, as both enjoyed straight-sets wins to wrap a good Thursday for the family.
French veteran Monfils continues to defy the odds as he brushed aside Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-5 6-3 7-6(3) to become only the fourth man aged 38 or older to make the third round at Melbourne Park since 1988.
All this just a few days after becoming the oldest man to win a tour-level title since 1977 in Auckland last Saturday.
Over on Court 7, in some ways his wife’s victory was just as impressive, Svitolina’s 6-1 6-4 success against American Caroline Dolehide coming in her first tournament back since foot surgery last autumn.
Both have tough tests around the corner, as both play the No.4 seeds in their respective draws. Monfils will go up against in-form American Taylor Fritz, while Svitolina can prepare for Jasmine Paolini, the Italian world No.4.
Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist during 2024, produced another clean match to beat Mexico’s Renata Zarazua in the last match of the night session at Rod Laver Arena.
Also in the bottom half of the draw, second seed Iga Swiatek cruised through 6-0 6-2 against Slovak Rebecca Sramkova to set up a meeting with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The Brit played another solid match to beat good friend Amanda Anisimova, and hasn’t dropped a set this week.
Another two friends who will re-connect in the third round – Americans Danielle Collins and Madison Keys – both survived three-setters.
Nineteenth seed Keys beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-5 in the third, while 10th seed Collins gave one of the most entertaining on-court interviews of the week after ending the run of Aussie qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-2 in the decider.
No.6 seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had things easier against young American wildcard Iva Jovic, dropping just three games.
Eighth seeded American Emma Navarro needed three sets for the second successive match, and will be tested again in the third round when she faces three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.
And what a ride Germany’s Eva Lys is having. The world No.128 only sneaked into the draw as a lucky loser just minutes before a first-round main draw match, and can now start preparing for her maiden third-round contest at a major after beating France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-2 3-6 6-4.
In the men’s draw, defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner dropped the first set to Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate but recovered to come through 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3, and fourth seed Fritz blitzed his way past Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin for the loss of just three games.
Yet fellow top-five seed Daniil Medvedev did not advance with them, with the three-time AO finalist stunned by teenaged American qualifier Learner Tien in a late-night epic at MCA.
Other notable results saw young Dane Holger Rune fight his way past former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini, while Alex de Minaur kept the Aussie flag flying with a comfortable win over American Tristan Boyer.
Lorenzo Sonego ended teen sensation Joao Fonseca’s 14-match win streak by using his greater experience to come through their final set 6-3. It was the first five-set match of Fonseca’s career.
Former quarterfinalist Ben Shelton and 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti both went through to set up a mouthwatering third-round meeting.
It was a rougher day for another two of the men’s seeds – Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz – who both crashed out.
Seventeenth seed Tiafoe ran out of steam in a fifth set with Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, while Serb Miomir Kecmanovic thrashed 18th seed Hurkacz 6-4 6-4 6-2.
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