Australian Open 2026 LIVE updates: Demon in Alcaraz showdown; US teen challenges Sabalenka; Gates open early on sweltering day

Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka needs little introduction to Australian Open fans, having won the title at Melbourne Park in 2023 and 2024. But less is known of her opponent first up on Rod Laver Arena from 11.30am today, American Iva Jovic.

So, let’s give you some quick background. The 18-year-old right-hander was born in California and is experiencing a career-high ranking of 27.

She made her debut in all four majors last year, but did not make it further than the second round in the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. She lost the first round at Wimbledon. This will be the first time she plays against Sabalenka.

Loading

One of the biggest influences on her career to date has been her father, Bojan, who moved to the US from Serbia in 2003.

“He kind of taught me the style of tennis that he wanted me to play,” Jovic said this week. “He’s not, you know, a formal coach or anything, per se, but I think he drilled the right mentality in me and just playing with good intentions, which I think is what gets success in the long run.

“He’s one of my biggest supporters. He just believes in me a lot. So he always thinks I can win, no matter who I’m playing against or how big the match is. I’m super lucky to have a family that doesn’t just only look at me as a tennis player, but just wants me to be happy. That’s their ultimate goal.”

But you won’t see Bojan Jovic in the stands today. He returned to LA for work after the first round. He and Jovic’s mother, Jelena, manage pharmacies.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have crossed 417 parts per million – the highest level in at least a million years, according to ice-core data. All that carbon traps heat: Australia has warmed by about 1.47 degrees since records began in 1910. The average maximum January temperature in Melbourne rose by 1 degree from 1988-2007 to 2012-2022, the Bureau of Meteorology says. That average increase is being driven, in part, by a jump in days of extreme temperature.

The Opens in 2009 and 2014 were brutally hot. On day 12 in 2009, the temperature hit 45.1 degrees; then-reigning champion Novak Djokovic retired that year due to heat stress.

In 2014, as it got to 42 degrees, Ivan Dodig was forced to withdraw from a match, collapsing half an hour later with full-body cramps (from depleted salt levels in his body). “I was thinking I could maybe even die here,” he said.

This year, court roofs have been closed and play has started earlier or been suspended in extreme heat.

Click here to read article