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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Before anything else, our thoughts this week are firmly with teh family of Damian Kust. Damian was a cherished and passionate member of the tennis community whom we lost at the age of just 26. His work covering the Challenger Tour set him apart, but his passion and knowledge was what really made him shine. RIP Damian. Details of his funeral and donations to the foundation his parents have chosen are here: https://x.com/damiankust/status/2009644081207709969

It always feels utterly empty to follow such profoundly sad news with the mundanity of the week's tennis news. Here is what else Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw discussed this week...

PLUS: No Australian Open wildcard for Nick Kyrgios; there is one for Stan Wawrinka; titles for Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina; Emma Raducanu's return; and OF COURSE *that* wildcard in Nairobi.

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Calvin Betton is in Brisbane but that won't stop him getting on the podcast (even if it does stop him getting any sleep). He joins James Gray for the first half of this week's podcast before subbing out for George Bellshaw, who sleeps soundly in his childhood bedroom in the West Midlands.

They discussed...

- Emma Raducanu pulls out of her season debut (she eventually played Maria Sakkari)... ...and she's testing a new racket

- Stefanos Tsitsipas reveals he considered retirement after battling a back injury last year

- Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Calvin relaunch their defence of the 250

- Novak Djokovic pulls out of the PTPA

- Venus Williams gets an Australian Open wildcard but Nick Kyrgios is made to wait for his

- Katie Boulter links up with a new coach in Michael Joyce

- Iga Swiatek questions why we needed another "Battle of the Sexes"

And finally, could Lionel Messi really win 50 grand slams?!

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James Gray, George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton are back round the microphones to discuss not one but TWO weeks of tennis news - because the gossip train does not take Christmas off.

They discussed...

- Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero have ended their seven-year partnership - but no one quite knows why

- Nick Kyrgios says “there's nothing but positives that can be taken away from this” after beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-3 in the so-called Battle of the Sexes in Dubai

- British number one Jack Draper will not play in next month's Australian Open because of an ongoing arm injury

PLUS

- Jennifer Brady is making a comeback (maybe?)

- Holger Rune is rushing his comeback (maybe?)

- Learner Tien is ready for a serious impact (maybe?)

And the sandwich shop Calvin was talking about? All'Antico Vinaio on Liberty Street in FiDi.

And finally, if you want to read what James wrote about the Battle of the Sexes, you can do so for FREE here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/battle-of-the-sexes-pixelated-mess-awful-4136957?utm_campaign=PNITUx1xSr1ai7e&ito=gifted_article&data-target=gifted_article&utm_source=XJPLeh5koSHChZEU

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With the three lads taking Christmas week off, we have a special interview with... James Gray.

Two years ago, he interviewed George and Calvin for special episodes around Christmas, and this time the microphone has been turned around and it is James who will have to try and talk about himself.

Do go back and listen to the two previous interviews for the perspectives on their lives, and even if you don't, have a happy, safe and peaceful Christmas.

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