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Aryna Sabalenka 'all over the place' as world No.1s in big upset - Aus Open overnight wrap
Reach Daily Express | January 23, 2026 5:39 PM CST

Day six of the Australian Open is underway, and players are already booking their places in the second week. Carlos Alcaraz breezed past Corentin Moutet in an entertaining match that could be turned into a whole highlight reel. Aryna Sabalenka had a tougher time on the court and admitted she struggled emotionally despite battling through to beat Anastasia Potapova.

The world No. 1 was in good spirits after coming off the court as she discussed her new brand deal with Gucci. But fellow top seeds, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, were dumped out of the men's doubles event in the second round. And marathon man Daniil Medvedev erased his five-set demons as he came from behind to beat Fabian Marozsan.

Sabalenka 'all over the place'

Aryna Sabalenka survived a wobble against Anastasia Potapova in the first match of the day on Rod Laver Arena. Whenever the No. 1 seed pulled ahead, Potapova managed to get back in it. Sabalenka was broken serving for the second set, and then saved four set points to win 7-6(4) 7-6(7). The two-time former champion then told the crowd: "She played incredible tennis.

"I was always on the back foot and, to be honest, there is days where you just have to be there, have to fight, and try your best to put the ball back on that side. I don't know what was the key. I think, even though emotionally I was, like, all over the place, I was still able to fight for every point. Against Anastasia, it's something really important that you always focus, you're always there, you're always fighting."

World No. 1s suffer huge upset

World No. 1 doubles team Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool fell victim to one of the biggest shocks on day six of the Australian Open, losing in the second round to Aussie wildcards James McCabe and Li Tu. The British duo reached the quarter-finals here last year and won Wimbledon a few months later. But they crashed out 7-6(5) 6-4.

"I thought we actually started pretty good," Glasspool later said. "It just turned into a bit of a dogfight. They've got clean returns, they've got big serves, and we just kind of didn't execute what we needed to do."

Cash added: "I think on a court like that, especially with the Aussie crowds and stuff, it's always kind of dangerous if you give them a look at your serve." Both men are still alive in the mixed doubles draw. Glasspool teamed up with Tereza Mihalikova and returned to the same court, the ANZ Arena, to beat another Aussie wildcard pair - Maddison Inglis and Jason Kubler - later in the afternoon.

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Alcaraz hotshots

No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz continued his quest to complete the career Grand Slam with a thrilling 6-2 6-4 6-x victory over Corentin Moutet. It was a mostly routine win for the Spanish superstar, but it was still an exciting contest thanks to the number of hot shots both men produced. Moutet stunned the crowd with a tweener in the first set, and Alcaraz responded by hitting a couple of tweeners of his own in the next few games.

The six-time Major winner couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he continued to fire down winners. Moutet then threw in back-to-back underarm serves early in the first set, and Alcaraz had fun with it, jokingly stepping inside the court to return the next one. The Frenchman picked his level up while trailing a double break at 0-3 in set two and reeled off four games in a row, but Alcaraz regained control. As Moutet's time on the court ran out, he made sure to enjoy himself, and he and Alcaraz even spoke about their crazy shots during the changeover at 4-1.

"When you play someone like Corentin, you don't know what's going to be next!" Alcaraz joked after winning 6-2 6-4 6-1. "I had so much fun on the court, as you could see. I think we both pulled off great shots, great points. I think where were a few highlights in the match, which I appreciate that and I'm just grateful to play these kinds of matches against him."

Marathon Meddy

Daniil Medvedev loves a five-setter at a Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he's come out on the losing end of a few of late, including his fiery US Open match with Benjamin Bonzi last year. But the No. 11 seed became the first man at this year's Aussie Open to complete a comeback from two sets down as he beat Fabian Marozsan 6-7(5) 4-6 7-5 6-0 6-3.

The former world No. 1 was interviewed by Mats Wilander on the court and made a hilarious confession. "Well, first of all, I saw you at the end of the third set, and I was like, Oh, Mats is looking at my not best match! But now I understand why you were there. You were getting close to an end, so you had to be there, to interview maybe him!" he laughed.

Medvedev was also haunted by last year's five-set losses and said: "It was a very tough match, and last year, I lost probably all my Grand Slam matches, when I was 0-2 down [in sets], I made it 2-2 and a break, and I lost. And here I had a break [in the fifth set] and he broke me back with a 40-15 return, like 200 km/h, so I was like, Not again! But I managed to stay strong, and I'm happy about it." The 11th seed also took a gulp of water mid-interview and told Wilander: "I'm not going to spit on you!"

Gucci Gang

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka announced a new brand deal with Gucci on Thursday. And she brought a special accessory to her post-match press conference, putting on some Gucci shades as she gushed over their new partnership. "Well, Gucci is bold and expressive. I think it's the best fit," she said.

Asked whether she could ever collaborate with the luxury fashion house for her on-court looks, Sabalenka added: "I'm not closing the door for that. We'll see. We need to unfortunately talk to Nike, as well. But I would love to see that. It's a perfect time to bring fashion on court. Gucci is the best brand, the best fashion brand with the best designer right now. Yeah, I think we can do really cool stuff for on court."


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