Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva made her latest statement with a miracle comeback to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open – but that was topped by knowing Andy Murray was watching her.

Andreeva and Murray interacted after the Russian teenager spoke of her admiration for the former world number one at her breakthrough tournament in Madrid last spring, describing him as “beautiful”.

And Murray was up early back home in the UK following Andreeva’s progress as she took on France’s Diane Parry.

The teenager’s run looked poised to end when she trailed 5-1 in the third set and struggled to hold back tears, but Andreeva kept fighting and saved a match point on her way to a 1-6 6-1 7-6 (10/5) victory.

Afterwards, Murray wrote on the social media site X, formerly Twitter: “Andreeva down 5-1 in third. Commentator “she really needs to work on mental side of her game.. she’s too hard on herself when she’s losing” 30 minutes later 7-6 Andreeva wins.

“Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she’s losing/playing badly? Winner.”

Andreeva was delighted by Murray’s attention, saying: “I didn’t really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something.

“Honestly, I will try to print it out somehow. I don’t know, I will put it in a frame. I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall so I can see it every day.”

It is the second time Andreeva, who was beaten in the junior final here 12 months ago, has reached the fourth round at a slam after Wimbledon last year and she is closing in on the top 30 in the rankings despite being restricted to 12 tournaments a year because of her age.

She showed all the skills that make her the most exciting young talent in the world to turn around the deciding set, dragging Parry all around the court with her use of angles and showing deft touch on drop shots and lobs.

“Because I won the last time I played her, I had kind of an advantage,” said Andreeva. “I felt like that maybe I should win because I won pretty easy on the score.

“When you think like this, it always happens like 1-6 in the first set. Then I just decided fight, to win one game at a time.

“Maybe being harsh on myself actually helped me. I just try to think positively. This harshness, let’s say, helped me with it because I am not very positive in my head usually. I just kept pushing myself. I was saying not good words to myself.”

A number of upsets have left the women’s draw very open in places, although Andreeva would probably have to get past defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals if she wants to reach the final stages.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” she said of her wins so far. “Fourth round, yes, I’m 16, maybe it’s a bit new.

“Fourth round is nothing. Maybe if I win a slam, I have to win three more matches, and it’s really tough to win seven matches in a row. I don’t think that I did something incredible. I have time to do it, I hope.”

Aryna Sabalenka handed Lesia Tsurenko the dreaded double bagel at the Australian Open – but the scoreline did not bother the Ukrainian.

The defending champion’s 6-0 6-0 victory means she has cruised through to the fourth round in Melbourne for the loss of only six games.

At the end of the match there was no handshake, as has been standard between Ukrainian players and those from Russia and Belarus since the start of the war nearly two years ago, although the pair did both put their hands up to acknowledge each other.

“I respect everyone’s position,” said Sabalenka, who was criticised at the French Open last year for standing at the net as if waiting for a handshake she knew was not going to come from Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

“She was quite respectful. She said, ‘Great play’. She didn’t shake my hand, but she was respectful to me, so I appreciate that.”

Asked why she maintains the position, Tsurenko said: “This is very tough to explain, you just have to feel what I feel and you will not have these questions for me.”

The 34-year-old quickly shrugged off the scoreline, and she said: “I feel like so many things that were so important for me are not important any more, like a tennis match.

“I don’t feel like I really care about how I finish the match, what is the score. I care more about the fact I can be here and I can remind the world that the war is still on, I care about the fact that I can earn some money and I can donate and I can help other people.”

Last year in Melbourne the tournament held a prominent fundraiser for Ukraine, but the war has slipped down the tennis agenda, as Tsurenko feels it has in society generally.

“People don’t want to talk about war, people don’t want to hear bad news,” she said. “I get a lot of bad messages on social media that people are kind of annoyed if I post something.

“It seems like the whole world is tired of hearing that but unfortunately it’s still going on, it’s a part of my life and part of other Ukrainians’ life and we have to talk about it, we have to remind people about Ukraine.”

Tsurenko, meanwhile, criticised players who took part in an exhibition event in St Petersburg in December.

While it was predominantly Russian players, France’s Adrian Mannarino and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut also played in the event, which was sponsored by Russian energy giant Gazprom.

“In my opinion the players, especially from Europe, should not take part in propaganda of the tennis federation of the aggressor country and I think they should not take part in promotion of the biggest war sponsor,” said Tsurenko.

“This is what I’ve texted to people. You’re going to promote a company that is sponsoring a bombing of my country and of my closest relatives. I want them to feel a little bit for me and for other Ukrainians.

“Especially when that exhibition was on, there was heavy bombings and my sister was very stressed. It is very painful for me but people don’t understand.”

Sabalenka moves forward to a last-16 clash with American Amanda Anisimova, who is resurgent having missed the majority of last season for mental health reasons.

A chaotic Thursday saw Elena Rybakina, the player Sabalenka beat to win the title 12 months ago, and fifth seed Jessica Pegula lose, while Iga Swiatek survived a major scare against Danielle Collins.

Sabalenka has had no such worries, and she said: “Last year Iga won so many sets 6-0 and this is one of the goals, to get closer to her. I’m just really happy with the level.”

Fourth seed Coco Gauff has also been in impressive form and she eased to a 6-0 6-2 victory over fellow American Alycia Parks.

Anisimova, meanwhile, beat another player on the comeback trail in Spain’s Paula Badosa 7-5 6-4 despite battling stomach cramps.

“I’m really proud of myself,” said Anisimova, who first made the fourth round here five years ago as a 17-year-old.

“I wasn’t sure should I expect to do well because a lot of people were telling me, ‘Don’t put too much expectations on yourself’. I’m just really happy that I was able to get this far, but I still think that I can do more.”

Third seed Daniil Medvedev survived a scare at the Australian Open as he came from two sets down to beat Emil Ruusuvuori in a match that finished at 3.40am.

Medvedev looked like he might have been in bed much earlier as the unseeded Finnish player took control.

But the Russian showed his fighting spirit to ensure that it turned into an early morning as he battled back to win 3-6 6-7 (1) 6-4 7-6 (1) 6-0, with sunrise two hours away.

Carlos Alcaraz came through a tough four-set battle with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on a day of close encounters for the big names.

Novak Djokovic’s struggles will have given heart to his rivals but few are finding the early stages of the tournament straightforward, and second seed Alcaraz needed three hours and 25 minutes to defeat Sonego 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-6 (3).

In a match full of shot-making, Alcaraz topped the highlight reel with two winners around the net post.

“I didn’t feel I had downs in the match,” said the Spaniard. “In the tie-break, he started to play an unbelievable game. I think he made some big returns after a good first serve from me.

“I think probably I could do something else in the tie-break. But the level that he played, it was really, really high.”

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev and 11th seed Casper Ruud both needed fifth-set tie-breaks to edge into round three.

Zverev looked in deep trouble down two sets to one against Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein before recovering to win 7-5 3-6 4-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (10/7).

The German said of his opponent: “I didn’t know him at all. To be honest, if he would have been in a room, I would have not known that he’s my opponent.

“But he played extremely well. He played very, very aggressive, hitting every single ball as hard as he could from both sides, I feel like. A lot of the times I was a spectator in the match. I was just witnessing whether he’s going to hit a winner or miss.

“That’s not a nice feeling to be in, especially in the important moments, but I’m happy that I managed to win.”

Zverev next faces American 19-year-old Alex Michelsen, who knocked out last year’s quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka.

Ruud was given a huge battle by Australian Max Purcell, who twice fought back from a set down to force a decider before the Norwegian prevailed 10-7 in the deciding tie-break.

“He’s a really tricky player and a great tennis player in my eyes, even though he plays different from others,” said Ruud.

“I’m very happy with the win. He beat me in Cincinnati. The plan was to do things better from that time, and I think I did, and that was just enough to win the match.”

Eighth seed Holger Rune is out, though, as Frenchman Arthur Cazaux won 7-6 (4) 6-4 4-6 6-3.

Cameron Norrie is the only British singles player left in the Australian Open after a five-set win over Giulio Zeppieri in the second round.

British trio Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter all lost while Kazakh third seed Elena Rybakina became the biggest casualty of the tournament so far, losing an epic deciding tie-break against Anna Blinkova.

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek almost went the same way but recovered to beat Danielle Collins while men’s second seed Carlos Alcaraz also progressed on a day Jessica Pegula and Holger Rune were knocked out.

Picture of the dayTweet of the day

Figures from across the tennis world have been paying tribute to the Daily Mail’s hugely respected tennis correspondent Mike Dickson, who died in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Stat of the dayShots of the dayBrady blow

American Jennifer Brady has been sidelined for the majority of the three years since she reached the Australian Open final in 2021, and she has now announced that she needs more surgery.

Medvedev’s dawn raid

Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev looked to be heading out as he went two sets down to Emil Ruusuvuori.

But the Russian showed his fighting spirit and ensured it was a very early morning as he battled back to win in five sets, winning 3-6 6-7 (1) 6-4 7-6 (1) 6-0 just before 4am local time, with sunrise two hours away.

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Fallen seeds

Women: Elena Rybakina (3), Jessica Pegula (5), Daria Kasatkina (14)
Men: Holger Rune (8), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (23), Jan-Lennard Struff (24), Jiri Lehecka (32)

Who’s up next?

Novak Djokovic will attempt to find his form when he takes on dangerous Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round on Friday.

Women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka faces Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko while Coco Gauff takes on fellow American Alycia Parks.

Jannik Sinner has been the most impressive of the leading men so far and he meets 26th seed Sebastian Baez.

An emotional Iga Swiatek survived a major scare to reach the third round of the Australian Open but Elena Rybakina was beaten by Anna Blinkova in a record-breaking encounter.

Swiatek lost to Danielle Collins in the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago and it appeared history was about to repeat itself when the American took a 4-1 lead over the world number one in the deciding set under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.

But Swiatek responded with five games in a row to claim a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory and set up a clash with Czech teenager Linda Noskova.

The Pole sobbed into her towel at the end of the match and she said with a relieved smile: “I was at the airport already.

“I wanted to fight until the end. She played perfectly so I knew it would be hard for anybody to maintain that level. I waited for the mistakes to come. I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy.”

Rybakina, the third seed and last year’s beaten finalist, also appeared like she might escape after saving two match points to force a tie-break against 57th-ranked Blinkova.

But, more than half an hour later, Blinkova finally clinched a 6-4 4-6 7-6 (22/20) victory on her 10th match point, with Rybakina having seen six opportunities go begging.

It was the longest tie-break in a singles match in grand slam history.

For Blinkova, it is also the biggest win of her career, and she said: “I don’t know what to say. It was super tough. I just tried to stay focused on every point.

“I had so many match points. I tried to be aggressive at these moments but my hand was shaking and my legs too. I tried to be calm as hard as I could and I’m super happy to win in the end.

“This day I will remember for the rest of my life. Especially on this court, with this crowd. I will never forget it. It’s the best day of my life so far.”

After her defeat by Swiatek, Collins walked straight off court into the press room, where she revealed this will be her final season.

“I don’t really know exactly when (I will stop) but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” said the 30-year-old, who also made the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019 and reached a career-high ranking of seven.

“I have other things that I’d like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis and would like to be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”

Swiatek edged a tight first set disrupted by a brief rain break but the aggression of Collins was troubling the top seed and the American, who also made the semi-finals here in 2019, won five games in a row to take a 5-1 lead in the second set.

She showed nerves, hitting four double faults as she failed to serve it out at the first time of asking, but she was rock solid on her second opportunity.

Swiatek found returns drilled back at her feet and she was staring at the exit door when Collins broke serve twice in succession to lead 4-1 in the deciding set.

However, the American tightened up with the finish line in sight and Swiatek came roaring back, clinching victory on her third match point with a backhand into the corner.

Swiatek applied strapping under her left knee at the start of the third set, but she played down concerns, saying: “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my knee since (the WTA Finals in) Cancun. I have ups and downs but it’s not like it affects my game. You don’t have to be worried.”

On a day of high drama at Melbourne Park, fifth seed Jessica Pegula was also ousted, going down 6-4 6-2 to France’s Clara Burel, while former finalist Sloane Stephens beat 14th seed Daria Kasatkina 4-6 6-3 6-3.

Emma Raducanu struggled with a stomach bug during a marathon second-round loss to Wang Yafan at the Australian Open.

The former US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning from eight months out and three surgeries, had battled back strongly from a set and a break down to force a decider.

But Raducanu then began to show a lot of discomfort, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer two games in.

She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and she battled hard to try to turn the match around but Wang held firm to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.

It appeared Raducanu was struggling with her breathing but she revealed in her press conference that she was feeling sick having gone into the contest under the weather.

“I think I just had a bit of a stomach bug beforehand,” she said. “Now I feel a little bit better. I had some time.

“During the match, third set I was 30-0 up serving. Then all of a sudden I just felt so sick, just really weak and nauseous. Throughout the third set I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle.

“Like physically, body-wise, I felt fine. It was more I was throwing up in my mouth. Then after the match, it came out. Now I’m OK. I’ll get over it. It just sucks with the timing.

“I was actually feeling good about my tennis. Mentally, I don’t know why, I just felt really composed the entire time. Even in the first set when I was making a ton of errors with the wind, I kind of always had this feeling that I was coming back, just tidy up the errors. I felt pretty composed throughout.”

Raducanu is no stranger to medical time-outs and retirements but she was determined to keep going this time.

“I’ve been in that situation before in matches, whether it was with illness or injury, and retired a few times,” she said.

“With what I went through last year, you feel awful right now, at some points I couldn’t really see the ball very well, but I think it’s made me so much tougher. There was no way I was going to pull out. She was going to have to beat me, and she did. She served it out.”

Raducanu’s exit followed those of Katie Boulter and Jack Draper and means Cameron Norrie, who battled from two sets down earlier to beat Giulio Zeppieri, is the only British player through to the third round.

Raducanu comfortably won her first-round match against Shelby Rogers, but the American looked very rusty after a long break herself which made it difficult to gauge the 21-year-old’s true level.

This was a much bigger test, with Wang a former top-50 player now ranked 94 who is still working her way back up the game after choosing not to travel amid China’s restrictive Covid policies.

The 29-year-old’s game initially held up better than Raducanu’s in the breezy conditions and she looked in control at one set and 2-0 up, at which point the British player cut down her errors and fought her way back into the contest.

She broke to lead 5-3 with a sizzling cross-court winner but tentativeness crept in as she tried to serve out the set, with two chances going begging.

Raducanu did not let the disappointment affect her, though, and refused to be hesitant when more chances arrived on Wang’s serve, drilling a backhand winner to clinch a mammoth 65-minute set.

At that stage it appeared Raducanu was the favourite but her physical issues quickly became apparent and she was unable to turn the match back around in her favour.

She leaves Australia greatly encouraged for what is to come, though, saying: “There were doubts whether I would be able to make the Australian Open trip.

“I think that to be here is a bonus, a good starting point I would say, because I started putting good practice sessions together with (coach) Nick (Cavaday), we’re doing good work off the court.

“I’m feeling very positive. I really just want to play a full season. The encouraging thing is, even though I played two back-to-back three-setters in Auckland, a three-setter today, body-wise, strength-wise, I didn’t come up with any random niggles.

“It was just me throwing up. That’s fine. That’s not normal, but it’s like a one-off.”

Jack Draper and Katie Boulter have set their sights on being seeded for Wimbledon after losing in the second round of the Australian Open.

Both found themselves up against highly-ranked opponents and were unable to cause upsets, with Draper losing 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 to 14th seed Tommy Paul, while Boulter was beaten 6-3 6-3 by 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.

Draper was particularly frustrated having beaten American Paul in both their previous meetings, including last week in Adelaide.

But, although he pulled up well physically from his dramatic first-round match, which he ended vomiting into a bin, the 22-year-old was unable to find his best tennis.

“He definitely came out playing really well,” said Draper. “I think he knew what he was up against. I think I won all four sets against him that I played.

“I definitely feel like I haven’t really got used to conditions this week at all. I just have been struggling to find my level. Obviously when you are playing a top player like that, if they’re playing well, there are very small margins in it. He was the better player today. He deserved to win.”

Draper is impatient to get to the sort of ranking he knows his talent merits, and it appears physically he is becoming more durable.

Being among the seeds at slams means guaranteeing avoiding higher-ranked players in the first two rounds and, having missed much of last season through injury, Draper now has a big opportunity to climb quickly.

He said: “I feel fit. I’m ready to keep going. I’m very motivated to keep getting better.

“So hopefully, by grass, if I keep my form up, if I stay fit, keep giving myself the opportunities to compete, then I’m going to be hopefully seeded for Wimbledon. And that’s kind of my goal now.”

It is the same for Boulter, who was disappointed to lose to Zheng but showed again that she can mix it with the top players.

The 21-year-old Chinese player is one of the game’s up-and-coming stars but the contest was closer than the score suggested.

Boulter will leave Australia with the best win of her career under her belt against Jessica Pegula at the United Cup earlier this month and a lot of belief in her prospects for the rest of the season.

“This trip has been great,” she said. “For me it’s about week in, week out playing these girls, trying to get big wins against the best players in the world. I gave myself opportunities to do that this week. I found myself winning a couple of matches a few weeks ago as well.

“For me, it is a massive step in the right direction. I’m going to keep working very, very hard. I know my game is there. Today it just wasn’t quite there.

“I would much rather play (her) in the third round, the fourth round to get myself into the tournament more and more and be playing on the bigger courts, which ultimately is more about the tennis than the conditions.

“So my next step for me is to challenge myself to get to 32 and push on from there.”

Cameron Norrie was pleased to show his mental fortitude in a gritty comeback victory over Giulio Zeppieri in the second round of the Australian Open.

A strong wind and two rain breaks, coupled with an inspired opponent, made life extremely difficult for the 19th seed but he battled to a 3-6 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory to set up a clash with 11th seed Casper Ruud.

Norrie took a medical timeout early in the match for treatment to his right knee and was also shaking out the troublesome left wrist that prompted his withdrawal from a tournament in Auckland last week.

The British number one is confident the issues will not hinder his chances, and took heart from being able to play through the discomfort.

He said: “I feel great right now. I think it will be interesting to see how I pull up. The legs feel great. Hopefully the wrist is good, as well. I think it’s just a good lesson to learn that I can play with a few distractions going on.

“I don’t think the knee was anything. I think it just was a bit more precautionary. Actually it loosened up. I think it was probably just being very tense from the match.

“I think I have to make sure I warm up really well. Once the wrist is warm, then I’m not feeling it. So I think it’s just trying to stay warm and play and not think about it. I was able to prove that in the first couple matches.

“I think I was making it a bigger deal than it probably was in the beginning of the match. I was addressing it too much. Once I switched my focus and my energy towards how to win and how to play and how to win points, I think that was key. I think it was a good match mentally for me.”

It is the third time Norrie has recovered from two sets down to win after his Davis Cup debut against Roberto Bautista Agut in 2018 and a first-round win over Diego Schwartzman at the US Open four years ago.

For the best part of two sets Norrie was unable to cope with the power of Zeppieri, ranked 133 but in form after coming through qualifying, who bullied the British number one with his serve and forehand.

In cool, windy conditions, Norrie did not get into the contest until late in the second set, when he gave himself the chance to level proceedings only to lose the tie-break.

The third set was affected by two rain delays but Norrie had changed the momentum and he hung tough through a close deciding set before gaining the crucial break of serve at 5-5.

“He came out firing and basically took the racket out of my hand for the first hour and a half,” said Norrie.

“I was really flat. I was just kind of complaining to myself about little things. Wasn’t moving. Wasn’t playing clear. I wasn’t thinking clearly.

“I just managed to rise the energy a little bit. He dropped slightly. I think, when the first rain delay came, I just felt a little bit more calmer coming out to court. I got a chance to chat with my coach and change the game plan a little bit, to play a little bit more to the backhand side.

“But I was really pleased more mentally how I managed to switch it around. I was not feeling good on the court. It was not great, but I managed to finish the match. I managed my serve so well from the start of the third.”

Norrie finds himself in the now familiar position of being the only British singles player left, and he will try to claim a first win over Ruud to reach the fourth round for the first time.

Emma Raducanu suffered more physical difficulties in a second-round Australian Open exit to China’s Wang Yafan.

The former US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning from eight months out and three surgeries, had battled back strongly from a set and a break down to force a deciding set.

But Raducanu then appeared to struggle with breathing difficulties, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer after two games.

She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and she battled hard to try to turn the match around but Wang held firm to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.

Raducanu’s exit followed those of Katie Boulter and Jack Draper and means Cameron Norrie, who battled from two sets down earlier to beat Giulio Zeppieri, is the only British player through to the third round.

Raducanu comfortably won her first-round match against Shelby Rogers, but the American looked very rusty after a long break herself which made it difficult to gauge the 21-year-old’s true level.

This was a much bigger test, with Wang a former top-50 player now ranked 94 who is still working her way back up the game after choosing not to travel amid China’s restrictive Covid policies.

The 29-year-old’s game initially held up better than Raducanu’s in the breezy conditions and she opened a 5-2 lead in the first set.

The match was again being played on the relatively small 1573 Arena, and queues stretched from each entrance with fans eager to watch the contest.

Raducanu had the majority of the support, and she sparked hopes of a comeback by winning consecutive games to make it 5-4, but Wang served it out at the second time of asking.

There were too many errors off the racket of the British player, and she dropped serve again at the start of the second set.

But Raducanu dug in and gradually began to find her range, finally taking her fifth break point in a long fourth game to draw level.

The 21-year-old is determined to stick to an aggressive game plan following her comeback and her forehand was now looking the dominant shot.

She broke to lead 5-3 with a sizzling cross-court winner but tentativeness crept in as she tried to serve out the set, with two chances going begging.

Raducanu did not let the disappointment affect her, though, and refused to be hesitant when more chances arrived on Wang’s serve, drilling a backhand winner to clinch a mammoth 65-minute set.

Both players took a bathroom break but that did not alleviate the discomfort Raducanu was feeling, and there was doubt over whether she would be able to continue.

She improved physically again as the match went on and will feel she could have turned the set around but a final backhand into the net signalled her demise.

Carlos Alcaraz came through a tough four-set battle with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on a day of close encounters for the big names at the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic’s struggles will have given heart to his rivals but few are finding the early stages of the tournament straightforward, and second seed Alcaraz needed three hours and 25 minutes to defeat Sonego 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3 7-6 (3).

In a match full of shot-making, Alcaraz topped the highlight reel with two winners around the net post.

“I didn’t feel I had downs in the match,” said the Spaniard. “In the tie-break, he started to play an unbelievable game. I think he made some big returns after a good first serve from me.

“I think probably I could do something else in the tie-break. But the level that he played, it was really, really high.”

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev and 11th seed Casper Ruud both needed fifth-set tie-breaks to edge into round three.

Zverev looked in deep trouble down two sets to one against Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein before recovering to win 7-5 3-6 4-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (10/7).

The German said of his opponent: “I didn’t know him at all. To be honest, if he would have been in a room, I would have not known that he’s my opponent.

“But he played extremely well. He played very, very aggressive, hitting every single ball as hard as he could from both sides, I feel like. A lot of the times I was a spectator in the match. I was just witnessing whether he’s going to hit a winner or miss.

“That’s not a nice feeling to be in, especially in the important moments, but I’m happy that I managed to win.”

Zverev next faces American teenager Alex Michelsen, who knocked out last year’s quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka.

Ruud was given a huge battle by Australian Max Purcell, who twice fought back from a set down to force a decider before the Norwegian prevailed 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (10/7).

“He’s a really tricky player and a great tennis player in my eyes, even though he plays different from others,” said Ruud.

“I’m very happy with the win. He beat me in Cincinnati. The plan was to do things better from that time, and I think I did, and that was just enough to win the match.”

Katie Boulter came out second best in a power battle with 12th seed Zheng Qinwen at the Australian Open.

British number one Boulter has had a great start to the season and she certainly played her part in an entertaining clash against Zheng, who is one of the rising stars of the game.

Ultimately she could not secure a spot in the third round, though, losing out 6-3 6-3 to the 21-year-old Chinese star in windy conditions at Melbourne Park.

Given the weather, this was a quality encounter between two of the cleanest ball strikers in the game.

It was a nip-and-tuck contest, with little to choose between them throughout, but ultimately it was Zheng who managed to come out on top in the crucial moments.

Boulter led by a break at 3-2 in the second set but Zheng responded with a run of four games in a row.

The last game was the longest of the match, with Boulter saving five match points but unable to take any of six break points before Zheng finally clinched it with an ace.

Jack Draper’s eventful Australian Open ended with a second-round loss to 14th seed Tommy Paul.

The 22-year-old had struggled physically in his opening match against Marcos Giron, escaping in five sets and then rushing to a courtside bin to vomit.

He looked to have recovered reasonably well going into the clash against American Paul, but fell to a 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 defeat.

Draper took confidence from having beaten Paul in both of their previous meetings, including comfortably last week in Adelaide, but the 26-year-old – a semi-finalist here last year – was sharp from the start.

The match was delayed by blustery showers in Melbourne and, when it did get under way, Draper came out of the blocks slowly, dropping serve three times in the opening set.

He hit back well in the second, beginning to trouble Paul with his power game, but it was the American on top again in the third set.

The conditions certainly did not make things easy and Draper looked hugely frustrated by his inability to time the ball as consistently as he would have liked.

Paul looked on his way to victory when he broke serve again to start the fourth set, but Draper fought back well to force two set points with a nervous Paul serving at 4-5.

He could not take either, though, and a missed forehand in the next game gave Paul the chance to serve for the match, which he took.

Cameron Norrie staged a superb comeback in difficult conditions to beat Giulio Zeppieri in the second round of the Australian Open.

A strong wind and two rain breaks, coupled with an inspired opponent, made life extremely difficult for the 19th seed but he battled to a 3-6 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory to set up a clash with 11th seed Casper Ruud.

It is the third time Norrie has recovered from two sets down to win after his Davis Cup debut against Roberto Bautista Agut in 2018 and a first-round win over Diego Schwartzman at the US Open four years ago.

Zeppieri is ranked down at 133 but was in form after coming through qualifying and crunched 63 winners in total, but Norrie did not panic and will be hugely satisfied with the result after a testing period over the second half of last season.

For the best part of two sets, Norrie was unable to cope with the power of Zeppieri, who bullied the British number one with his serve and forehand.

Both men were finding the wind tricky to cope with but Norrie began to get a foothold in the match at 5-4 in the second set, when he broke the Italian’s serve for the first time.

He was two points away from levelling the match with Zeppieri serving at 5-6 but the Italian fought back from 0-30 to force a tie-break, where he took an early lead that he did not relinquish.

Norrie, normally a cool customer, cut a deeply frustrated figure, while he was shaking out his troublesome left wrist having previously taken a medical timeout for treatment to his right knee.

The 28-year-old came out for the third set with purpose, though, and grabbed an immediate break of the Zeppieri serve before blustery showers began to blow through Melbourne Park, twice delaying the match.

In between, Norrie clinched the third set, and an immediate break at the start of the fourth set him on the way to levelling the match.

Norrie had experience on his side, with Zeppieri playing in only his third grand slam, but the 22-year-old, who had taken a lengthy medical timeout in the fourth set, began to offer more threat again in the decider.

Norrie came through a series of tight service games before a netted Zeppieri forehand gave him the break for 5-4 and the chance to serve out the contest, which he took before leaping across the court in celebration.

An emotional Iga Swiatek survived a major scare to defeat Danielle Collins and reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The world number one lost to Collins in the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago and it appeared history was about to repeat itself when the American took a 4-1 lead in the deciding set under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.

But Swiatek responded with five games in a row to claim a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory and set up a clash with Czech teenager Linda Noskova.

The Pole sobbed into her towel at the end of the match, and she said with a relieved smile: “I was at the airport already.

“I wanted to fight until the end. She played perfectly so I knew it would be hard for anybody to maintain that level. I waited for the mistakes to come. I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy.”

Collins walked straight off court into the press room, where she revealed this will be her final season.

“I don’t really know exactly when (I will stop) but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” said the 30-year-old, who also made the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019 and reached a career-high ranking of seven.

“I have other things that I’d like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”

The semi-final loss was the only one of five previous meetings with Collins that Swiatek had not won, and she lost only one game the last time they faced each other in Cincinnati last summer.

The top seed edged a tight first set disrupted by a brief rain break but the aggression of Collins was troubling the top seed and the American, who also made the semi-finals here in 2019, won five games in a row to take a 5-1 lead in the second set.

She showed nerves, hitting four double faults as she failed to serve it out at the first time of asking, but she was rock solid on her second opportunity.

Swiatek found returns drilled back at her feet and she was staring at the exit door when Collins broke serve twice in succession to lead 4-1 in the deciding set.

However, the American tightened up with the finish line in sight and Swiatek came roaring back, clinching victory on her third match point with a backhand into the corner.

Swiatek applied strapping under her left knee at the start of the third set, but she played down concerns, saying: “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my knee since (the WTA Finals in) Cancun. I have ups and downs but it’s not like it affects my game. You don’t have to be worried.”

Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a scare for the second match in succession to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Djokovic, who came through the longest first-round match of his grand slam career on Sunday, had to save four set points on his serve to avoid falling 2-1 down to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Rod Laver Arena.

The world number one eventually took the third set on a tie-break and appeared to be inspired by an exchange of words with a spectator in the fourth on his way to a 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory.

It was not clear if the 10-time champion asked for the spectator to be removed but former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, who is commentating for TV, said on Eurosport: “Just say the word Novak and I’ll run out of this commentary box and escort him out myself.”

Popyrin was left to rue failing to convert any of his four set points in the ninth game of the third set and Djokovic said in his on-court interview: “He had quite an easy forehand and he missed it.

“I didn’t do anything special, I was lucky at that point and that game to get away. He was the better player for a set and a half. The momentum shifted in the tie-break, I managed to put one more ball in the court than he did but that’s all.

“I think I played maybe at the highest level in some instances but also credit to him for tactically coming out with the right game plan and serving big. He deserves a big round of applause for the performance.

“I haven’t been playing my best but particularly in the early rounds you play players who have nothing to lose, they come out on the centre court trying to play their best tennis and I think both my first and second round opponents were really great quality tennis players and I managed to find a way to win.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to build as the tournament progresses.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final, also had to save four set points on his way to victory over another Australian, Jordan Thompson.

Thompson took the opening set and had four chances at 5-6 in the fourth set to force a decider before Tsitsipas sealed a 4-6 7-6 (6) 6-2 7-6 (4) victory.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner enjoyed a far easier day as he thrashed Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-2 6-2 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena, but 17th seed Frances Tiafoe was beaten in straight sets by Czech world number 75 Tomas Machac.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev needed just 99 minutes to beat American Chris Eubanks 6-4 6-4 6-4, while Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry – who beat Andy Murray in straight sets on Monday – beat Gael Monfils by the same score.

Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur is also into the third round after beating Italy’s for the loss of just six games.