Collins, 31, blew kisses to the fiercely partisan crowd, cupped her ear and even pointed to her backside after a stormy 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-2 victory over Aiava, the last Australian woman in the draw.

The left-handed Californian Tien soaked up the applause at Margaret Court Arena after the biggest win of his young career following four hours and 48 minutes of seesawing action.

On-court coaching, previously banned and punishable by point deductions, disqualification or even suspension from tournaments is being positively encouraged at Melbourne Park with "coaching pods" at court level in the corners of the main stadiums.

A bad bout of asthma nearly derailed the comeback of former world number two Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open on Thursday, with the Tunisian saying she found it hard to breathe and nearly gave up in her second-round victory.

World number two Iga Swiatek romped into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday to set up a high-profile clash with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Novak Djokovic made a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday but last year's women's finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far.

The Spanish third seed showed no mercy to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, who was taught a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 lesson on Margaret Court Arena in an 81-minute rout.

The normally ice cool "Queen Wen" got hot under the collar as she was sent packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in the second round by world number 97 Laura Siegemund of Germany.

The feisty Russian, a three-time finalist in Melbourne, lost his cool in the third set before rallying to beat unheralded Thai Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

The sixth seed from Kazakhstan demonstrated her pedigree as she manoeuvred the 16-year-old world junior number one from Australia to all parts of Margaret Court Arena.

The world number four wasted little energy to swat aside Jenson Brooksby, who is on the way back from a doping suspension, 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 on John Cain Arena.

Born in Japan, the 27-year-old has lived in the U.S. since childhood and has made LA her home.

In-form Gauff laid down a marker as she swept aside former champion and fellow American Sofia Kenin in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena.

Novak Djokovic has revealed a new secret weapon that he credits with helping keep him healthy and prolong his career -- a green "energetic disc".

Thunder and lightning saw players and fans rushing for cover, with the heavy rain a headache for organisers who face a match backlog.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said Saturday she would put the controversy surrounding her former coach Stefano Vukov to one side to focus on winning the Australian Open.

The first Grand Slam of the year gets under way at Melbourne Park as a 15-day event for the second year running, aimed at cutting down on late-night finishes.

The British player, who faces a tough first round match against Russian 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles last year while Sinner claimed the Australian Open and U.S. Open trophies as the pair heralded a new era for the men's game by shutting out 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic has claimed that he was "poisoned" by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the Australian Open.