Federer beats Nadal as old rivals serve up another classic

Murray is through, while Evans stuns Cilic at Australian Open

18 January

World number one Andy Murray brushed aside the challenge of Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open, but suffered an injury scare when he twisted his right ankle at the start of the third set.

But it was fellow Brit Dan Evans who stole the headlines when he defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic in four sets. The win is easily the biggest victory of Evans's career and his second against a top ten player inside a week after he dispatched Dominic Thiem in a warm-up tournament.

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Against Cilic he produced "probably the most convincing performance of a career", says Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian. The match "had the feel of a rock concert as much as a tennis match, and Evans loved every minute of it" as he won 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 "and played with a mix of adventure and discipline that proved irresistible".

"The euphoria of reaching his first ATP Tour final in Sydney clearly lifted a player for whom injury, lack of application and a rebellious nature held him back in a stormy youth. He is 26 and maturing without losing his cheek and self-belief, an encouraging development," adds Mitchell.

Murray's passage into the next round was less of a surprise. His main problem was self-inflicted as he went over on his ankle shortly after winning the second set to love.

"Murray's foot gave way at the start of the third set on Rod Laver Arena and while he was still able to see out his 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 victory, he clearly remained in some discomfort," reports the Daily Telegraph, which adds: "Even when hampered, Murray had too much for the 19-year-old Rublev, a talented shot-maker but who was playing only his third match at a grand slam and looked slightly overawed.

"Murray cannot afford to be much below 100 per cent against [Sam] Querrey, however. The world number 32 boasts a powerful, if occasionally erratic, game and demonstrated his threat by knocking Novak Djokovic out of Wimbledon last year."

The other main headline from Melbourne involved 14th seed Nick Kyrgios who fell apart against Andreas Seppi, throwing away a two-set lead to lose in five. The Australian player was booed off the court by home fans.

It was "a quite astonishing display of self-destruction", says Russell Jackson of The Guardian. "Having been two sets up and perfectly comfortable... Kyrgios dissolved into a mess of code violations and unforced errors, and in doing so turned a straightforward match-up into a five-set horror show of scarcely believable proportions."

It did not go down well with many fans. "Although [he was] given rousing support by the partisan crowd on Hisense Arena for most of the match against Seppi, there was a reminder of how he divides his compatriots with a few boos after his defeat," says Eurosport.

"Clearly upset after blowing a two-set lead and failing to convert a fifth-set match point," Kyrgios was incensed to hear that he had been criticised by commentator John McEnroe. He told media to "ask Jonny Mac" when asked about his physical and mental state during the match.

Roger Federer made it through to the third round when he beat American qualifier Noah Rubin, ranked No 200 in the world, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 in two hours and four minutes.

GB joy as Watson, Konta and Edmund win at Australian Open

17 January

Briton Heather Watson produced the shock of the day at the Australian Open when she beat home favourite and 18th seed Sam Stosur to join Johanna Konta in the second round.

The 24-year-old took two and a quarter hours to overcome the former US Open champion 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in "a match bristling with nerves and uncertainty", says Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian. "It made an intriguing contest, with neither sure of dominance until Watson properly got going."

World number nine Konta was also less than fluent as she overcame Kirsten Flipkens in two sets. However, she showed Andy Murray-like patience as she ground out a 7-5, 6-2 victory "that was notable for her persistence rather than the brilliance she showed in winning the Sydney Open at the weekend", says Mitchell of the Guardian.

There was more good news for British tennis fans when Kyle Edmund beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo in straight sets. The 22-year-old "outclassed" Giraldo to win 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, says the Daily Telegraph, and joins compatriots Andy Murray and Dan Evans in round two.

The victories mean that five Britons will be in action in the next round, says The Times. "It is Britain's best performance at the Australian Open since 1987, when there were six Britons in the second round."

Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal also safely negotiated their first round matches. Defending champion Djokovic saw off Fernando Verdasco in straight sets and Rafael Nadal also won in three when he beat Florian Mayer. In the women's draw Serena Williams booked her place in the second round when she saw off Belinda Bencic.

But the most dramatic match of the day was between Ivo Karlovic and Horacio Zeballos, as Karlovic won 22-20 in the fifth set. The match lasted five-and-a-quarter hours and the final set took almost three hours.

Karlovic also broke the Australian Open record for aces, sending down 75 in the match.

Andy Murray confused by water bottle at Australian Open

16 January

Andy Murray's assault on the Australian Open got off to a shaky start as he made heavy weather of first-round opponent Illya Marchenko in Melbourne.

"Victory was a painful struggle", says Simon Briggs of the Daily Telegraph of the 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win.

The world number one "shuffled around the court with only a fraction of his usual dynamism" and was fortunate to be playing an opponent ranked 95 places below him, continues the journalist, saying: "Tension is the enemy of good tennis and Murray seemed to be feeling it in spades.

Murray began the match with "an opening service game of epic incompetence", says Mike Dickson of the Daily Mail, sending down three double faults and handing his opponent an early break.

Although he hauled himself back and eventually won the set, the Scot appeared "fractious and cautious" on court.

"There were complaints to his bench about his water bottle and streams of invective in their direction as he struggled to find his usual range on his first outing," says Dickson. "It was a fairly inauspicious start from Murray... that will not necessarily excite thoughts that he is going to go one better this year and win the first Grand Slam of the season."

Murray was spotted quizzically staring at his water bottle before asking: "What's this?", an incident that did not go unnoticed by fans.

He later said his confusion was caused because the container was unmarked. "I didn't know how big [the bottle] was, if it was like one litre or 600ml," he said. "I know how much I have to drink when it's a certain temperature. I couldn't find out how big it was so I didn't know how much I was having to drink."

Hydration could indeed have become an issue as the match ended up lasting two hours and 47 minutes - "far longer than [Murray] would have wished", says The Guardian.

Other big names had an equally tough time, with Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori both taken to five sets and Roger Federer triumphing in four sets on his comeback.

Andy Murray could face Roger Federer in quarter-finals of Australian Open

13 January

Andy Murray could play Roger Federer in the last eight of the Australian Open after being drawn in the same quarter.

Murray has a relatively easy start, his first-round match against world number 93 Illya Marchenko, and could face a qualifier in round two.

However, things will get a lot tougher in the quarters, with Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych likely to be waiting if Federer does not make it through.

But it is the Swiss player, seeded 17 after a six-month injury lay-off, who most observers will be watching.

Although 35, he will be "as eager as a yearling after six months off the tour recovering from knee surgery", says Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian. He will also enjoy the experience of being "the hunter rather than the hunted".

World number one Murray, meanwhile, will need to maintain his focus in the early rounds if he is to win his first Australian Open, says Charlie Eccleshare of the Daily Telegraph.

"Murray's habit of letting his mind wander against weaker opponents rarely leads him to losing matches, but it often leads to dropped sets and unnecessarily drawn-out contests," he says. "If Murray is to face [Novak] Djokovic in the final, then we will be in for an almighty slugfest, and the world No 1 cannot afford to have many more miles on his legs than the Duracell Bunny-like Serb."

Six other Britons are appearing alongside Murray at Melbourne and for Johanna Konta and Dan Evans, preparations for the tournament have been going very well.

Evans beat world number 48 Andrey Kuznetsov at the warm-up Sydney International to reach his first ATP Tour final, while Konta, who was born in the city, stunned world number three Agnieszka Radwanska to win the female competition.

"Konta's win sets her up perfectly for the Australian Open," says Stuart Fraser of The Times. "She will move up one place to a new career-high ranking of number nine, although her run to the semi-finals last year in Melbourne means there are a substantial amount of points to defend."

Evans will enter the men's top 50 if he wins his final against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

Also in the draw are Kyle Edmund and Aljaz Bedene, as well as Heather Watson and Naomi Broady.

"All the British men will face opening round opponents outside the world's top 50, but the women have a tougher draw," says Russell Fuller of the BBC.

Konta plays former Wimbledon semi-finalist Kirsten Flipkens in the first round.

"[The] draw places her in the same quarter as Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova and American six-time champion Serena Williams," adds the BBC. "Heather Watson and Naomi Broady will both face Australian opponents, with Watson playing Sam Stosur and Broady up against Daria Gavrilova."

Laura Robson returns to second tier after Melbourne failure

12 January

British tennis may appear to be in rude health, but things are not so rosy for former UK number one Laura Robson, who was defeated in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open. She will now return to Europe to play on the second-tier Challenger tour, chasing tournaments worth $25,000.

The 22-year-old, now ranked 222 in the world, was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Amandine Hesse of France, who is ranked 17 places above her. The match lasted just 74 minutes.

Robson, who won Wimbledon as a junior but has been plagued by wrist problems for the past three years, has now lost seven successive matches since the US Open where she was knocked out in the first round by fellow Briton Naomi Broady.

She seemed low on confidence against Hasse and made 37 unforced errors and sent down nine double faults. At times she was "consumed with negative body language and unable to get her feet moving," says Mike Dickson of Mail Online.

"Occasionally there were flashes of her wonderful natural timing but for most of the time it was a tale of woe and, but for a fortunate line call on break point at 2-4 in the second set, she could have lost more easily.

"While it gives no pleasure to say it, she was simply unrecognisable from the player who has shown before that she is able to compete with the best players."

It was the first time Robson had played in Melbourne for three years, says Simon Briggs of the Daily Telegraph.

"In an emotional post-match press conference, a crestfallen Robson admitted that she had been affected by memories of 2014 – the last time she competed at Melbourne Park – when she lost to Kirsten Flipkens in the opening round, and then opted to undergo surgery on her troublesome left wrist."

The 22-year-old explained: "I had a weird thought just before I went on court where, not in a negative way, I thought the last time I played a match here I didn't play for 18 months [afterwards]. It maybe wasn't the best thing to happen before a match. There's no real excuse, I just didn't play the way I wanted to or the way I should have."

Despite Robson's absence there will be seven British players – four men and three women – in the main singles draw for next week's tournament, with Andy Murray seeded number one in the main draw and Jo Konta expected to be one of the top ten seeds.