Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley will carry the Brits into the third round at the Australian Open as both players recorded impressive wins on day four at Melbourne Park.

However, it was a tough day at the office for Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart's Australian Open campaigns came to an end in the second round.

Draper came through one of the matches of the tournament so far to beat Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(3), 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round for the first time in his career.

Fearnley fought back from a set and a break down to overcome Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

Burrage gave a fantastic account of herself in her second career meeting against third seed Coco Gauff but eventually lost out in a 6-3, 7-5 defeat.

Dart’s put up a tough fight against 18th seed Donna Vekic but it was the Croatian who took a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory in their second round clash.

Jack Draper stages comeback win over Thanasi Kokkinakis

Draper has had to do things the hard way in Melbourne so far this year – coming through two five-set matches to set up a third round clash with Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

Both Draper and Kokkinakis brought a high level to the John Cain Arena on Wednesday night despite both carrying injuries into the match.

After losing a tight opening set tie-break, 2024 US Open semi-finalist finally got a breakthrough against the seemingly unstoppable Kokkinakis serve with two breaks in the second set.

Kokkinakis was forced to call for the trainer to get treatment on his shoulder early in the third, but only seemed to raise his game again after. His forehand caused Draper problems all match and the world No.71 dealt blow after blow as he not only survived an eight-deuce game at 3-3 but went on to win the set in his best three game stretch of the match.

The Aussie had the chance to serve for the match at 5-4 but nerves and tiredness got the better of him. In a gutsy showing from the British No.1, Draper rattled through the last three games in a blink of an eye to take it to a decider.

Draper seemed to have more energy and dealt with the pressure better in the final set. Sensing his chance at 4-3, with Kokkinakis struggling more and more with his shoulder on serve, he finally got his break after the Australian failed to block a volley on break point.

Two-time ATP title winner Draper served out the match with ease and will now be hoping for a slightly more straightforward tie on Friday against another Aussie in Vukic.

Jacob Fearnley fights back to reach third round after ousting Arthur Cazaux

It was a slow start for Fearnley who was broken on his opening service game before a two-hour long rain delay put a halt to the second round match. While he looked to turn things around at the restart, the Brit was unable to deny his opponent who eased to a one set lead.

It was a similar story at the start of the second after a couple of costly double faults in the third game handed Cazaux the advantage. However, just when it looked like his opponent was going to take full control of the match, the Briton produced an immediate response – breaking straight back before consolidating with a confident hold to love.

With little separating the two, the Rothesay Open champion began to work his way through the gears late in the second and just when we thought a tie-break was looming, Fearnley dealt another blow to break Cazaux and level the scoreboard to a set apiece.

From there, there was simply no stopping Fearnley who cruised ahead to a 5-2 lead before cooly closing out the set to put himself on the edge of a spot in the third round on his tournament debut.

A seventh break of Cazaux’s serve was all that was needed to take the reigns in the fourth. Stepping up to the baseline to serve for a spot in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his young career, Fearnley launched a powerful backhand into the corner of the court which Cazaux dumped into the net to secure victory and send a stand full of British fans into erupted cheers.

He now sets up a blockbuster clash against second seed Alexander Zverev after the Germany dispatched Pedro Martinez 6-1, 6-4, 6-1.

Jodie Burrage narrowly misses out to third seed Coco Gauff

It was a shaky start from Burrage, who let a few leaky forehand errors fly off her racket, while Gauff came out with the clear intention of playing aggressively to force the Brit on the back foot. After a tough start, Burrage soon settled into the contest and managed to recover the break thanks to a thundering forehand winner.                                                    

However, like all top five player do, the American was able to lift her level and put a stop to Burrage’s momentum as she responded immediately before consolidating the break to take the opener.

It was important that Burrage made a confident start to the second set but after a few lengthy baseline exchanges with the American, it was the British No.7 who found herself trailing once again after the 2023 US Open champion capitalised on her first opportunity.

Despite the deficit, Burrage didn’t let her head drop and dug deep to not only claw back level but make her move after a loose service game from Gauff at 4-3 saw her slam down two double faults.

With the opportunity to serve out the second set having come and gone and the Brit handing Gauff another break after costly back-to-back double faults, the world No.3 made certain to close it out at the first time of asking.

Harriet Dart loses out in second round defeat to Donna Vekic

Dart started the brighter of the two, dealing with the blustery conditions much better than her opponent. The British No.3 took full advantage of Vekic’s sluggish opening few games – playing with aggression and on the front foot to go a double break up.

Despite Vekic claiming one break back, the 28-year-old Briton managed to keep her nerve with an impressive hold to love as she took a one set lead.

Vekic was trying to get some momentum going at the start of the second set, letting out big roars after each point to get the crowd going behind her and it seemed to work. After a shaky hold she managed to break Dart to love, finishing with a brutal forehand winner.

Dart’s first round match against Jana Fett saw 19 breaks of serve between them and after the first came in the second set, the Brit only managed one hold the rest of the way.

The opportunities were there for Dart in the third set. A poor service game from the Croatian, with a number of wild unforced errors saw the Brit strike the initial break for a 2-1 lead but she couldn’t make the advantage tell. Vekic rattled off the last five games in a row – reaching 28 winners on the match – to see herself through a tricky match up against the British lucky loser.

Doubles

Wednesday's action welcomed a bumper day of British doubles action.

Jamie Murray and John Peers edged out Miomir Kecmanovic and Borna Gojo 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3.

Maia Lumsden and Anna Siskova fought off a late resurgence from Varvara Gracheva and Oksana Kalashnikova to win 6-4, 7-5.

Day three: Six Brits into singles second round for first time as Raducanu & Boulter clinch victories

Emma Raducanu secured an upset victory over 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and Katie Boulter held off a spirited performance to beat Rebecca Marino to progress to the second round of the Australian Open.

Meanwhile, British No.2 Cam Norrie bowed out in four sets to former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

In a match that saw 12 breaks of serve, Raducanu came out on top with a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) win over Alexandrova in two hours and 19 minutes.

The 2021 US Open champion will take on USA’s world No.35 Amanda Anisimova in the next round.

Boulter had to fight off three break points in a deciding third set to beat Marino 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to set up a clash with Veronika Kudermetova in round two.

Six British players are into the second round of singles for the first time in the Open Era – with Raducanu joining Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley.

However, former top 10 star Norrie lost his first round against 2022 semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in a tough match up.

Raducanu overcomes serving difficulties to knock out 26th seed

Both Raducanu and Alexandrova failed to find any sort of rhythm in a topsy turvy match. The British hopeful got off to the brighter start having led by a break at 3-1 and 4-2 but as her serve let her down, that was soon turned on it’s head as she had to fight to stay in the set with the 26th seed serving with a 5-4 and 6-5 lead.

The British star – who finished last year with three wins in three matches at the Billie Jean King Cup – hit 15 double faults in a scrappy performance, but produced her best tennis in the big moments.

Raducanu reeled off the final three straight points of the tie-break and broke in the first game of the second to move a set and 2-0 in front. However, the double faults came back to haunt her. With the Brit having led 5-4, 30-0,, Alexandrova managed to come back and at one stage had the chance to serve out a set point at 6-5 but once again failed to capitalise.

The tie-break was one way traffic for Raducanu who opened with six straight points before clinching the match on her third match point.

Raducanu will be back in action on Thursday as she looks to book a place in the third round for the first time.

Boulter keeps her nerve against big-hitting Marino

Boulter had been hoping for an ‘easier first round match’ but will have plenty to take away from a tough battle on the Kia Arena.

After overcoming a break deficit to see out the opening set in relative comfort, the final two sets for Boulter against Marino were anything but.

The Canadian came out swinging at the start of the second set and picked off the Brit’s serve on a couple of occasions to break early and rush out to a 3-0 lead.

Marino seemed almost untouchable on serve from that point as well. She lost only six points on serve in the second set to draw back level with the British No.1 and take all the momentum into the decider.

The three-time WTA title winner has shown her fighting spirit time and time again both on tour and for GB at the Billie Jean King Cup. Despite being on the wrong ended of some powerful exchanges through the middle of the court, the Briton from Leicester saw off three break points across her opening two service games of the set.

The 22^nd see did everything she could to stay ahead and on serve and was eventually rewarded for it. With Marino serving to force a deciding tie-break, Boulter was able to unsettle her opponent and on a second match point, Marino landed a forehand into the net, much to the British star’s relief.

Norrie knocked out by Berrettini in tough first round tie

Norrie took the game to the big-serving Italian in the opening set but failed to take advantage of two early break points in Berrettini’s serve in the third game.

A solid set from both players saw them move on to a tie-break, where Norrie came back from 4-1 down to win six consecutive points and seal a hard earned one set lead.

After the match, Norrie cited that he had been dealing with illness since Auckland and hadn’t had much time to prepare coming into Melbourne.

It appeared to take its toll in the second set and Norrie said after the match that he ‘hit a wall after an hour and a half’ and that he wasn’t as ‘sharp’ after that.

Berrettini – a former Grand Slam finalist – spotted his opportunity and took it. A single break was all he needed to serve out the second, before the floodgates opened in the third and the Italian won three games on the Norrie serve.

Norrie made the fourth round in Melbourne last year and the Brit showed his fighting spirit in the fourth and had two break points early on, but it was a chance missed. Berrettini only lost two points on serve from there to see out his victory in two hours and 59 minutes.

It's been a winning start to main draw action for the Brits on day two at the Australian Open. Jack Draper clawed through a tough five-set encounter against Mariano Navone, while Jacob Fearnley secured a straight sets victory over Nick Kyrgios on his main draw debut.

Lucky loser Harriet Dart came through a gruelling three hour battle against Jana Fett and Jodie Burrage marked her return to Grand Slam action with a maiden victory at Melbourne Park.

Rising star Fearnley put in a statement performance as he knocked out former Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2).

British No.1 Draper made a slow start against the Argentine but eventually saw out a five-set epic 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Despite the late call up, Dart made sure to take full advantage of the opportunity as she saved two match points on her way to a 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(7) win over Fett.

Meanwhile, Burrage dominated Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean 6-2, 6-4 to book her place in the second round for the first time.

Draper fights back to win in five

After being forced to withdraw from making his United Cup debut due to a hip injury, Draper avoided a first-round scare by bouncing back to victory, but he wasn't without his struggles during a marathon match that lasted four hours.

The British No.1 had a rusty start to his first round encounter - mis-timing his shots and spraying unforced errors to give Navone the chance to take control of the match early on.

Trailing two sets to one, the two-time ATP titleholder eventually turned the tide in the fourth set, despite looking worn out from the Argentine's intensity. However, Draper began to find his first serves when it mattered most and eventually pinned Navone back to clinch a decisive break and take us to a deciding set.

Into the fifth and the Brit dug deep in an attempt to wrap up the match. After the world No.43 held in his opening service game, Draper strung together a run of five games to give himself a 5-2 lead before going on to secure the victory on his first match point.

He'll now go on to face former Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.

Fearnley clinches first win against Kyrgios on John Cain Arena

Stepping out onto the John Cain Arena in what was arguably the biggest match of his career so far, Fearnley looked born for the big occasion as he sought to put a dampner on Kyrgios' long-awaited return to Melbourne.

Despite the rowdy Aussie crowd against him, Fearnley was laser focused on the mission ahead of him. The British No.3 couldn't have got off to a better start in the opener, where he dropped just six points on serve.

Fearnley was presented with opportunities to break the Australian, but failed to convert as we headed towards a tie-break. Visibly struggling with the abdomen issue he sustained at the Bristbane International, the errors began to leak in for Kyrgios as the Brit seized his chance to close out the first set.

Momentum is his favour, the reigning Rothesay Open champion continued to serve well and oust Kyrgios in the longer rallies to move ahead to a two set advantage. However, leading by a break in the third soon saw the Briton show his first signs of tightness as a couple of uncharacteristic errors began to creep in, allowing the Aussie back into the set.

Fearnley did well to regain his composure in the third set tie-break and displayed his rock-solid defence to open up a comfortable 6-1 margin, before sealing one of the biggest wins of his career on his second match point.

Dart takes advantage of first round opportunity

After arriving down under, Dart had put in a strong qualifying campaign that led her to the third round before eventually missing out on a spot in the main draw to Nao Hibino.

However, after 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew just hours before her first round match, the British No.3 stepped up to the challenge as a lucky loser

It was a topsy-turvy opening opening set, with seven breaks of serve in 12 games. However, it was the Briton who had the last say as she broke the Croatian at the last chance to take a one set lead.

Things soon became difficult for Dart, who began to struggle with an injury and cramp early in the second. Fett – who is ranked world No.133 – capitalised on her opponent's struggles as reeled off the last four games of the set to level proceedings.

Into the decider, and the pair continued to exchange breaks. The scoreboard locked at 6-6 and the match fast approaching three hours, Dart dug deep to save two match points and force a 10-point tie-break.

The 28-year-old Brit sprinted ahead to a comfortable 6-0 lead and despite her opponent threatening a comeback, eventually got over the line on her third match point to clinch the win after three hours and 11 minutes.

Next up, Dart will face Fett’s compatriot and 18^th seed Donna Vekic in the second round.

Burrage sets up Gauff clash

It was an emotional return to Melbourne for Burrage, who was contesting at her first major tournament since her first-round defeat against Tamara Korpatsch this time 12 months ago.

While she may have had a long period away from Grand Slam action, there were little signs of nerves for the British No.7 who looked fired up from the get-go.

Looking to play with aggression and attack from the baseline, the W100 Dubai champion opened up a double break lead against the French qualifier to take the opener.

After breaking the world No.149 on her opening service game of the second, Burrage looked to maintain her level. The former world No.83 continued to strike with venom – hitting an impressive 23 winners past Jeanjean and avoiding any break points throughout the 73 minute encounter.

Stepping up to serve for the match, Burrage sprinted ahead to a 40-0 lead. With a first Australian Open win in sight, all the emotions from a tough 12 months came spilling out as the 25-year-old hit a winning forehand which dribbled over the net, sending a cluster of British fans into eruption and bringing Burrage to tears.

She now sets up a blockbuster second round meeting against world No.3 Coco Gauff. The pair last faced at the 2023 Rothesay International Eastbourne where the American earned a 6-1, 6-1 win.

Sonay Kartal bowed out in the opening round of the Australian Open, losing to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 7-6(5) in and hour and 25 minutes.

Kartal – who was making her main draw debut in Melbourne – managed to get a hold in her opening service game but after that had a shaky start to the match.

Bouzas Maneiro’s powerful groundstrokes, particularly off the backhand, proved too much for the Briton to handle in the early stages, as the world No.52 went on to break three times as she wrapped up the opening set in half an hour.

The writing seemed to be on the wall as Bouzas Maneiro won nine of the first 12 points to start the second set – wrapping up nine consecutive games in an impressive all-round performance.

Kartal managed to get herself on the board with a hold for 3-1 and from there, the nerves appeared to sink in for the Spaniard.

At 4-2, Bouzas Maneiro showed the first kinks in her armour as a flurry of mistakes saw Kartal break back on her first opportunity.

Bouzas Maneiro broke back straight away but again seemed to tighten up in the big moment serving for the match. Kartal got back within a game of her opponent and saved a match point on a gutsy rally to level back at 5-5.

The Briton had led 4-2 in the tie-break but the Spaniard was determined not to let the match slip away. At 5-5 on Kartal’s serve, the British hopeful hit the net on an attempted drop volley, only for Bouzas Maneiro to put away a backhand volley of her own on her second match point.