Machac Advances to Face Tsitsipas in Australian Open Second Round

Tomas Machac advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday, setting up a matchup against 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday at Melbourne Park.

The 25-year-old Czech, fresh off his Adelaide title win last week, defeated the 34-year-old Bulgarian 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes. Machac saved all four break points he faced and converted four of 10 opportunities on Dimitrov's serve. The win extends his season record to 6-1 and marks his third consecutive year avoiding a first-round exit at the year's first major. He now seeks a seventh straight victory against Tsitsipas, having lost only to compatriot Jiri Lehecka so far in 2026.

Tsitsipas, seeded 31st, reached the second round after a four-set battle with Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki on Tuesday. The Greek player lost the opening set 4-6 but rallied to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The match, held under rising summer heat, was interrupted for eight minutes at the start of the third set when a ball kid became unwell and vomited near the back of the court. Medical staff attended to the individual as both players returned to their benches. Play resumed with...