Calvin Betton is back and anything BUT boring... however, is the Australian Open turning into a boring tournament? George Bellshaw and James Gray join him to discuss...

- Ben Shelton knocking out Casper Ruud to add another top-eight seed to the men's quarter-finals, making it seven in total and 13 across the two singles draws

- Lorenzo Musetti sets up a clash with Novak Djokovic by putting Taylor Fritz out of his misery

- All four women's matches end in straightforward straight sets victories for the favourites

AND, as a special treat, here is a free link to read James's column for The i Paper: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-getting-lucky-4193977?utm_campaign=PNITUx1xSr1ai7e&ito=gifted_article&data-target=gifted_article&utm_source=XJPLeh5koSHChZEU

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- Novak Djokovic has been handed a free pass into a record 65th grand slam quarter-final after Jakub Mensik pulled out of their fourth-round clash

- Are the stars aligning for Djokovic slam No 25?

- Daniil Medvedev is out, beaten in straight sets by Michael Chang-coached Learner Tien

- Elina Svitolina crushed Mirra Andreeva's AO dream with an efficient performance

- Coco Gauff fought fire with fire to beat Karolina Muchova

And much more!

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Ben Rothenberg of Bounces and James Gray look back (mostly) at the seventh day of action at the Australian Open.

- Jannik Sinner lost the opening set to Elliot Spizziri in sweltering conditions, which triggered the heat rule, shut the roof and seemingly swung the match in the Italian's favour

- Madison Keys's title defence goes on in fine style

- And why Daniil Medvedev vs Le-arn-er Tien is the match of the day on Sunday

And loads more!

Go check out Ben's work on Bounces (https://www.benrothenberg.com/), it really is excellent.

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George Bellshaw is back for his last podcast of the week with James Gray in tow.

- Aryna Sabalenka admits she felt 'disconnected' from her body in a double tie-break win over Anastasia Potapova

- Coco Gauff came from a set down to beat Hailey Baptiste after a tactical adjustment on her forehand side

- Daniil Medvedev delivered on his annual AO five-setter

- The British interest in the singles is over for another year, Cam Norrie beaten in four sets by an imperious Alexander Zverev

- Yulia Putintseva did NOT disappoint!

And so much more...

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James Gray and George Bellshaw look back at the fifth day of action at the 2026 Australian Open.

- No 10 seed Belinda Bencic is shocked by qualifier Nikola Bartunkova, the teenage sensation who served a six-month ban for inadvertently ingesting banned substance TMZ

- Stan Wawrinka kept rolling back the years to beat Arthur Gea in five sets and set up a third-round clash with Taylor Fritz

- Naomi Osaka wound up Sorana Cirstea, knocked her out the tournament and then hung her out to dry. Just watch: https://x.com/tntsports/status/2014296632775336143

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James Gray and George Bellshaw are back around the microphones for another review of a relatively drama-free day at the Australian Open, but...

- Emma Raducanu is out after defeat to Anastasia Potapova and seems ready to ditch the tactical overhaul being overseen by Francis Roig

- Cam Norrie is the last Brit standing after grinding out a win over Emilio Nava in rarefied, late-night air

- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Kamil Majchrzak both fell out with the crowd but for different reasons

- Diana Shnaider saves three match points to roar into the third round back at the tournament where she broke through three years ago

LINKS

Check your fantasy progress here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/125MgiVs97Xnbi9OQ5UdXck-VM2liwwxbQMVxeevJIIY

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Yes, the hat. Not Brooklyn Beckham, not the actual tennis. Naomi Osaka's incredible hat.

George Bellshaw and James Gray are keen to focus on some other things... eventually. Because THAT. HAT.

It was also a cracking first-round tennis match. But the hat. Where does she go from now?!

LINKS

The hat in question: https://x.com/tntsports/status/2013590606128263313https://x.com/tntsports/status/2013590606128263313

How are you faring in fantasy tennis? Check here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/125MgiVs97Xnbi9OQ5UdXck-VM2liwwxbQMVxeevJIIY/edit?resourcekey=&gid=1734778613#gid=1734778613

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James Gray and George Bellshaw look back on the second day of first-round action in Melbourne including...

- Felix Auger-Aliassime retires after cramping just two sets into his match against Nuno Borges

- Iga Swiatek is made to work hard by Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue

- Alexandra Eala fans overcrowd Court 6, but it's not a problem the Australian organisers will have to deal with again this year

- Naomi Osaka lifts the lid on her leaving the Evolve agency

- Why hasn't Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open yet?

LINKS

- The wild scenes of Parks vs Eala: https://x.com/christianscourt/status/2013099697431298256

- Naomi Osaka talks to Ben Rothenberg: https://www.benrothenberg.com/p/naomi-osaka-interview-australian-open-evolve-img-australian-open-day-2-schedule-preview

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Day 1 of the Australian Open is in the books, a record day at Melbourne Park as more than 100,000 ticketholders streamed through the gates.

The headlines were...

- Qualifier Zeynep Sonmez pulled off the biggest win of her career by knocking out No 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova

- Ukrainians Dayana Yastremksa and Marta Kostyuk both also suffered first-round defeats as three WTA seeds fell on Day 1

- Arthur Fery knocked out the only men's seed to lose on Sunday, although Flavio Cobolli called the doctor after one game because of illness and was clearly short of his best

- Emma Raducanu looked like she was in trouble against Mananchaya Sawangkaew but saved break points at 1-3 down and lost two more games in the entire match.

And so much more!

LINKS

Daria Kasatkina interview: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6978334/2026/01/16/tennis-daria-kasatkina-australia-russia/

Putintseva being Putintseva: https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2012724674036183423

FTU League Table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/125MgiVs97Xnbi9OQ5UdXck-VM2liwwxbQMVxeevJIIY

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James Gray and George Bellshaw are in St Pancras Station. Yes, really. Don't ask why. Anyway, they are going through the Australian Open draw line by line for your entertainment - and to help you pick your fantasy tennis team!

Enter here: https://forms.gle/vMwznVdH4Yh5HgRx8

DEADLINE: SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 11PM BST

The basic concept is simple: predict the quarter-finalists. Do that successfully, and play your captaincy chip right, and you'll win!

Below, you must pick one player from each section of the draw, and hope that they go as far as possible - as well as nominating a men's captain and a women's captain.

(To help you, the players are presented as they are in the draw, so you know who plays who!)

SCORING

Players are split into four categories: Top Seed (a top 8 seed), Minor Seeds (9-32 seeds), Unseeded (self-explanatory) and Bolter (a wildcard or a qualifier).

Unlike previous years, you do not HAVE to pick any qualifier or wildcards - but they will score points more quickly if you do pick a successful one.

The overall tournament winner also receives a bonus of 20 points.

CAPTAINS

You must select a captain in the men's and the women's draw. Captains will score double points.

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