Australian Open 2025 LIVE updates: Popyrin hit by illness and injury; Demon revels in pressure during mixed day for Aussies

Alexei Popyrin is content to put his Australian Open experience “in the bin and forget” it after the 25th seed crashed out in the first round on Tuesday night.

Popyrin endured a tough week with sickness and suffered a glute injury during his four-set defeat to Frenchman Corentin Moutet, losing 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6.

Alexei Popyrin hurt his hip and felt ill in his first-round loss.Credit: Getty Images

“I have obviously had a little bit of a physical struggles, but hey, that’s tennis. You have to find a way to battle through it. I didn’t do it,” Popyrin said in his post-match press conference.

Playing with a seeding at his home slam for the first time, the injury could not have come at a worse time for Popyrin.

“I ran to a drop shot, felt a pull in my - sharp pain in my glute, like lower back side glute,” he said.

“I have had it before, and I knew what it was. It’s just really, really - it was really painful for me to push off my left leg and land on my left leg and do running forehands and stuff.

“I just had to dig deep and play through the pain. I tried to do that, but, you know, yeah, it’s not been an easy week, that’s for sure.”

Popyrin’s early exit came on top of a tough day for the Australian contingent after Olivia Gadecki, Rinky Hijikata, Emerson Jones and Kimberly Birrell were all eliminated.

Alex de Minaur was victorious in the feature night match on Rod Laver Arena.

“I’m going to have to take a few days, a week off, let it all sink in,” Popyrin said.

“It’s been a very disappointing month for me, come to Australia off the back of your best year, lose for two matches is not something I kind of expected.

“It’s not been an easy month, that’s for sure. We’re going to have to take a step back, look at what went wrong, and just work from there.”

Alex de Minaur says his ability to absorb the pressure and expectation that comes with being the host nation’s leading Australian Open title hope is just a matter of perspective.

The world No.8, who has never been beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park, survived a few scares to dispatch Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in an encouraging first-up performance on Tuesday night.

Alex de Minaur in action against Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday night.Credit: Chris Hopkins

“There is always going to be pressure. Ultimately, as I said many times before, no one is going to put more pressure on myself than myself,” de Minaur said in his post-match press conference.

“There’s always going to be outside noise, and that’s always going to be in the background, but I go in every day with a mindset of trying to bring out the best version of myself.

“When it comes to playing these types of matches, or playing in Australia, my sole focus is to give myself the best chance when I walk on court, and do everything I can.

“[In] tennis, you can have some good days, you can have some bad days. If I have my bad day, I’m [still] going to fight until the end, compete, and I’m going to do my best.

“I know that the crowd is going to have my back from the very first point to the last. It’s perspective, right? It’s what way you choose to look at pressure.”

De Minaur dashed from Rod Laver Arena to Kia Arena to watch his fiancée, British 22nd seed Katie Boulter, secure a tense 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Canadian Rebecca Marino.

He admitted to catching the odd update on Boulter’s match on the scoreboard during his own battle, even if “you don’t really want to be thinking about it”.

“You try not to pay too much attention and focus on yourself, but the sheer fact that it’s always coming around, it makes it difficult,” de Minaur said.

Australian Olivia Gadecki’s first round was over so quickly she barely had time to soak up the atmosphere on Rod Laver Arena.

She was dumped out of the tournament by former world No.9 Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-1 in a match that lasted 56 minutes.

Gadecki’s had a tough summer and will leave Australia ranked outside the top 100 again.

Kudermetova now plays Alex de Minaur’s British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second round.

In a huge upset, 18-year-old Brazilian qualifier Joao Fonseca has beaten No.9 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). Remember his name, this kid is seriously good.

In another late night women’s match on Tuesday, Colombian Camila Osorio won a three-set match against Maria Sakkari, of Greece, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4.

It was smiles all round tonight for Brit Katie Boulter and her Aussie fiance Alex de Minaur.

The pair both chalked up victories in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday night.

With de Minaur already through to the second round and watching courtside, Boulter was able to win a tight battle on Kia Arena against Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

She said she knew de Minaur had won his clash on Rod Laver Arena because he had come to watch her play.

“I kind of figured if he lost he would not be sat there,” she said.

A mid-match injury has seen Alexei Popyrin bundled out of the opening round by Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

Popyrin won the first set 6-4, but then his fortunes took a turn for the worse when he suffered a left hip injury, and needed treatment during a medical timeout.

Alexei Popyrin loses his first round clash against Corentin Moutet, of France.Credit: Getty Images

From that point on the Australian No.25 seed lost all ascendancy and dropped the next three sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

It is a disappointing result for Popyrin as he came into the tournament in good form.

Gee, that was a blink-and-you-will-miss-it moment.

It seemed like Alex de Minaur had barely packed his bags and walked off Rod Laver Arena and Australian hope Olivia Gadecki had already lost her opening set.

Gadecki dumped a forehand halfway up the net to drop the first set 6-1 to former world No.9 Veronika Kudermetova.

Let’s hope she can turn things around in the second set.

Meanwhile, injured Alexei Popyrin is trying desperately to level at two sets all against Frenchman Corentin Moutet. He trails two sets to one, but trails the fourth set 5-4.

Alexei Popyrin is fighting to keep his tournament alive.

After falling two-sets-to-one behind Frenchman Corentin Moutet, Popyrin is now trailing 5-4 in the fourth set.

The night started to go awry for the 25th seeded Australian during the second set when he called for a medical timeout for an injured left hip. At the time he was visibly struggling to walk.

Alexei Popyrin lets out a roar.Credit: Getty Images

Popyrin won the first set 6-4 but the ailment swung the match in Moutet’s favour. He took the next two sets 6-3, 6-4.

Elsewhere at Melbourne Park, No.9 seed Andrey Rublev has fallen two sets behind Brazilian qualifier Joao Fonseca – 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 – while Canadian Denis Shapovalov closed out a four-set victory against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8).

Alex De Minaur’s British fiancee, Katie Boulter, has taken a marginal lead against Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-4, 3-6, 4-3.

Australia’s leading title hope Alex de Minaur says he feels physically the best he has been in a long time after moving into the second round without dropping a set.

De Minaur did not have it all his own way against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, but emerged a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victor in what was always going to be a tricky contest.

Alex de Minaur reacts after winning a point against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.Credit: AP

A serious hip injury that the world No.8 suffered at Wimbledon meant he was physically compromised for the rest of a year when he reached three grand slam quarter-finals.

“The body feels great. It’s been a long time since it’s felt this good,” de Minaur said. “I’m just more than anything, relieved. I’m happy to move, I’m happy to slide around court [and] burn my shoes - it’s a good sign, that one.“

De Minaur hit 13 aces and dropped serve only once. He staved off van de Zandschulp’s two set points in the second set to enjoy a clean passage to the second round, where he will face American qualifier Tristan Boyer. Boyer won a five-set battle over Federico Coria.

“What gives me a sense of calm is knowing the amount of work I’ve put in behind the scenes, [and] knowing I’ve done everything in my power to be ready,” de Minaur said.

“As I said before, I know as soon as I walk on this court, every single one of you guys has my back, so I’m going to do my best from the very first point to the last.”

Forget Rod Laver or Margaret Court Arena, Court 3 is where the magic is starting to happen.

The roars coming from the grandstands there are much louder than anything you’ll hear on the main courts, as Colombia’s Camilla Osorio takes on Greece’s Maria Sakkari.

The stadium is packed, and people are queuing outside just to see what all the fuss is about.

Osorio took the first set 6-4, but Sakkari battled her way back into the match with a 7-6 (7-4) win in the second set tiebreak.

We are going to a deciding third set, and the party might keep getting louder.

Alex de Minaur has finished off his opponent, but has not finished off the night.

After putting paid to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 during a sparkling display on Rod Laver Arena, de Minaur said there was more tennis to come – outside on Kia Arena.

It is there that his British fiancee, Katie Boulter, is playing her first-round match against Canadian Rebecca Marino, having won the first set 6-4, but losing the second 3-6.

“I better get out there and watch,” de Minaur said after his comfortable straight-sets victory.

The tournament No.8 seed said 2024 was a special year because of his engagement, and he was heading into 2025 injury free.