Live Coverage: Australian Open - Day Two

Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of day two of the Australian Open.

If you thought that day one was action-packed, then expect more of the same for day two as Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, the Williams sisters and three Brits all take to court with the target of earning progress to the second round.

With just five minutes to go until the start of play, I will point you in the direction of our live scores section to see what time some of the top players in the world are scheduled on court. You can locate the scores by clicking here.

Much of our focus for the first few hours will be on the British trio of Heather Watson, Kyle Edmund and James Ward, but we will keep you up-to-date on the likes of Stanislas Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori throughout that period too. Nishikori, last year's US Open runner-up, appears to have a few supporters in Melbourne for his clash with Nicolas Almagro.

Lots of @keinishikori fans at Melbourne Park today. He plays Almagro first up on MCA this morning. #ausopen pic.twitter.com/JaE21eY7WU — Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 19, 2015

The first lot of games are getting underway in Melbourne as we speak. By usual standards, a temperature of 25C is effectively perfect conditions but a few showers are being predicted for the afternoon. Fingers crossed that they stay away!

As I have already mentioned, much of our updates will focus around the Brits until around 4am, GMT. Heather Watson is involved in a real 50-50 clash with world number 52 Tsvetana Pironkova but the Guernsey hitter will be confident of making the last 64 after her triumph in Hobart last week. It's taken Watson to the brink of her career-high ranking but she needs a good performance in Australia to reap the rewards of her recent form.

After all of that buildup, Watson has lost her serve in the opening game. It can only get better, I guess...

Out on Court 22, British number three Kyle Edmund has just gone underway against world number 39 Steve Johnson. The 20-year-old is up against it but after his performances during the qualifying rounds, who knows. That match has gone with serve during the first two games.

Much has been spoken about Edmund's ability to perform under pressure and he's done just that to save a break point and hold serve for a 2-1 advantage. It's a different story for Watson, though, who missed an opening for an immediate break-back and she is 2-0 down in the early stages against Pironkova.

Over on the Margaret Court Arena, Kei Nishikori has dug himself out of an early hole against Nicolas Almagro. The fifth seed lost his opening service game but he has responded with three games in a row to edge in front of the Spaniard.

WATSON BREAKS! Much better play coming from Heather Watson now as she breaks to 15 to get back on level terms against Pironkova. There's a setback for Kyle Edmund though, who loses serve after being 40-15 in front.

Incase you are wondering, we haven't forgotten about the mouth-watering showdown between Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka. That's quite a match for the first round of a Grand Slam, isn't it?! Azarenka, a two-time winner in Australia, is currently a break to the good at 4-3.

Just when you thought that Heather Watson was gaining a foothold in her match with Pironkova, she has dropped a break behind again after a marathon fifth game. That encounter has three sets written all over it. Over on Court 22, Kyle Edmund is finding himself competing in each game against Steve Johnson but he's still a break behind. He's just saved three break points to avoid the double-break.

After taking a quick squint around Melbourne Park, both Nishikori and Azarenka are now a set to the good over Almagro and Stephens respectively, while the upset looks on Court 6 with Denis Kudla a set and a break to the good over Feliciano Lopez.

Hmmm. After falling a double-break down, Heather Watson has called for the trainer. Are her efforts in Hobart coming back to haunt her, I wonder?

EDMUND LOSES FIRST SET! He's put up a mighty effort in the 10th game - creating one break point and saving several set points - but Kyle Edmund has fallen a set behind to American Steve Johnson. All is not lost, but the 20-year-old needs to hold his opening couple of service games in the second set.

The smelling salts have been out for Heather Watson, which is never a good sign, but they appear to have done the trick. The Brit has salvaged one of the breaks back to get to 5-3. Pironkova still has the advantage, though.

WATSON LOSES FIRST SET! Despite getting back to 5-4, Heather Watson has conceded the first set to Tsvetana Pironkova, who holds to 15 in the decisive game.

Ouch. After losing her opening service game at the start of the second set, Watson squanders four break points before allowing Pironkova to hold. It's going to take a lot to come back from that.

Back over on Court 22, Kyle Edmund's match with Steve Johnson is currently going with serve during the opening five games of the second set to give the Brit a 3-2 advantage. His service and returning stats aren't great but he is hanging in there.

Pironkova seals the double break in the second set against Watson and the end appears to be nigh for the Brit. It's so disappointing after her performance in Hobart, but she looks far from 100% fit.

HEATHER WATSON IS OUT! The writing has looked on the wall for a while, but Heather Watson has been eliminated from the Australian Open, losing 6-4 6-0 to Tsvetana Pironkova.

To read a full report of Watson's exit from the tournament, click here. I'm afraid the news is no better from Court 22, where Kyle Edmund is now two sets and a break behind to Steve Johnson.

The third of the British players in action today - James Ward - has just walked out onto Court 7 for his encounter with 31st seed Fernando Verdasco. It's a tough ask for the Londoner but if he can adapt to the left-hander's game, he has the potential to pull off a considerable upset.

She may be unseeded for this year's tournament but Victoria Azarenka has made a huge statement by defeating Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-2. The opposition, somehow, is only going to get tougher though, with Caroline Wozniacki or Taylor Townsend waiting in the next round.

Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka has made his way out onto the Rod Laver Arena for his match with Marsel Ilhan. It's a relatively easy start for the Swiss but he will be wanting to start with a convincing win to set himself up for the latter rounds.

James Ward has gotten off to a flyer against Fernando Verdasco. After breaking straight away, he came through a lengthy service game to move 2-0 in front. There's a long way to go though! Kei Nishikori isn't having it his own way against Nicolas Almagro but he's two sets up over the Spaniard.

EDMUND BOWS OUT! Kyle Edmund's adventure in Melbourne has come to an end after he lost 6-4 6-4 6-3 to world number 39 Steve Johnson. It's been a benefiting experience for the 20-year-old, who won three matches in qualifying, but he will return to Challenger tournaments as he looks to rise up the world rankings. You can read a report of today's game by clicking here.

It's better news for James Ward, who is now 4-0 ahead against Fernando Verdasco! It's going to be tough to maintain that level of performance but it's certainly been an exceptional start for the Brit.

Over on the Rod Laver Arena, Stanislas Wawrinka has raced through the first set for the loss of just one game, while Kei Nishikori is on the brink of securing his place in the second round against Nicolas Almagro.

Yup, that's Nishikori through, who has beaten Almagro 6-4 7-6 6-2. Solid start for the Japanese. There are a couple of possible shocks on Court 2 and Court 6 though. 16th seed Fabio Fognini is currently two sets to one behind against Alejandro Gonzalez, with 12th seed Feliciano Lopez and Denis Kudla have progressed into a deciding set.

Here's a pic of Nishikori in action during his win over Almagro.

No. 5 seed @keinishikori kicks off his #ausopen campaign with a solid 6-4 7-6 6-2 defeat of Nicolas Almagro pic.twitter.com/gf65HfKsAH — Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2015

WARD WINS FIRST SET! British number two James Ward has taken the first set 6-2 against Fernando Verdasco. That's a super effort. More of the same please, James...

RESULT! Time for an upset? Yes, I think so too. World number 109 Alejandro Gonzalez has caused a shock in the first round by coming from behind to beat 16th seed Fabio Fognini in four sets. It's certainly the biggest win of the Colombian's career!

It seems as though James Ward has annoyed Fernando Verdasco. The Spaniard has raced through the second set without losing a game to make it one apiece.

Maybe dropping that second set has riled Ward, too? He has broken Verdasco's serve at the start of the third. Over on Rod Laver, it looks as though we won't have too long to wait for Novak Djokovic. Stanislas Wawrinka is a couple of games away from wrapping up a comfortable win over Marsel Ilhan.

To whet your appetite ahead of the Djokovic match, you may or may not know that opponent Aljaz Bedene is extremely keen to represent Great Britain after taking up residency here. His efforts to switch allegiances haven't proven successful so far but even so, it's something to think about for the future.

Stanislas Wawrinka has wrapped up his match with Marcel Ilhan, eventually prevailing 6-1 6-4 6-2. You know what that means? It's Djokovic time. We'll be all over that match when it gets started around 3.45am, GMT.

The match report for Wawrinka's win can be found here. We'll have one for Feliciano Lopez's epic five-set win over Denis Kudla shortly.

James Ward had been doing enough to remain a break ahead of Fernando Verdasco in the third set over on Court 7, but the Spaniard has clawed his way back to 4-4. Crucial 15 minutes coming up for the Brit.

There are plenty of cheers for Djokovic as he walks out onto a well-populated Rod Laver Arena. The sun is shining onto court but there are a few clouds in the distance. Let's hope the predicted showers stay away.

Djokovic has been suffering from a virus in the run-up to this tournament, but the four-time Australian Open insists that he has fully recovered. We'll soon find out - he's just about to serve. Game on!

Djokovic begins the match with a big first serve down the tee but a wayward backhand helps Bedene get on the board. Surprisingly, the nerves are with the world number one and two more mistakes gift Bedene deuce before two solid serves get him through the opening game.

Like with Bhambri against Murray yesterday, Bedene is taking an aggressive approach from the baseline and it pays dividends as he comfortably moves to 30-15. Djokovic goes long with a volley to concede two game points but Bedene only needs one as he swings a serve out wide.

Much better from Djokovic, who coasts into a 40-0 lead, and although Bedene reduces the deficit, the game is sealed with an ace.

How about this? Bedene crushes three aces past a stunned Djokovic, and although he can't make it a perfect game, Bedene benefits from a Djokovic error to record a love hold.

Djokovic moves into a 30-15 lead but the hitting of Bedene is relentless and he forces the mistake to get back to 30-30. The Slovenian misses a sitter of a forehand but he recovers to create the first break point of the match. However, that, and another chance goes begging and Djokovic holds with an ace. The world number one doesn't look right though.

A quick update from Court 7 and James Ward has lost the third set in a tie-break to Fernando Verdasco. The British number two had a set point at 6-5 before the left-hander registered three points in a row.

Bedene is impressing everyone on the Rod Laver Arena right now. It's only a hold to 30 but it's his approach to this contest that is making Djokovic take note.

Bedene has the crowd murmuring with anticipation after he opens up 0-30 on Djokovic's serve but a more attacking approach from the world number one gets him to game point, which he takes when his opponent nets a return.

BREAK! Djokovic comes alive as he connects with a cross-court passing shot but the four-time Melbourne winner looks bewildered when Bedene blasts a flat forehand winner into the corner for 30-15. However, Djokovic remains composed to get to deuce before pressurising his opponent into two mistakes to hand him the first break of the match.

SET! Bedene has something about him that makes you think that he will always be a threat in this match and an instinctive passing shot only adds to that belief. However, Djokovic is in no mood to let get back into the set and he swiftly holds to edge ahead.

BREAK! The Slovenian needed a fast start to this second set but Djokovic has moved out of first gear now and that's enough to earn two break points. Bedene looks favourite to take it to deuce but he goes marginally wide with a backhand and Djokovic has the early break.

Any lingering doubts about Djokovic's possible match-rust have been blown away now that the world number one has recorded five games in a row, the latest of which was a love hold. This is all becoming very one-sided.

Djokovic threatens a double break by taking the opening point of the game but Bedene isn't prepared to allow the Serbian the chance to move away from him and four successive points bring a very welcome hold of serve.

Both players hold to love with minimal of fuss to help the score along to 3-2 to Djokovic in the second set.

WARD LOSES TO VERDASCO! An upset looked on the cards early on but Fernando Verdasco has hit back to defeat James Ward in four sets. The British number two had his chances in the third, but after they slipped by, there was only going to be one winner. A full report can be found by clicking here.

BREAK! After holding to love, Djokovic proceeds to pick off the Bedene serve to seal the double break. Over on Court 3, David Ferrer has dropped the first set against Thomaz Bellucci. A potential surprise, maybe...

SET! These two players looked well matched during the opening six games of the match, but not now. A crushing forehand winner earns Djokovic three set points, and although he slices long on the first, a Bedene error allows him to move closer to the second round.

Djokovic has eyes on another break, but after losing the opening two points, Bedene blasts his way to game point, but he can't get over the line as he hits the tape with a forehand. Djokovic continues to push for a break point but the Slovenian eventually starves off the threat to edge in front in this third set.

Normal service is resumed as Djokovic seals a love hold with an ace out wide. That's all there is to say about that game...

Bedene is serving with more freedom in this set, which is probably the reason that he is able to earn two game points - well, that and a netted drop volley by Djokovic. The world number reduces the deficit with a passing shot but Bedene comes through when his opponent goes long.

Bedene has just taken a medical time out for an unspecified injury, but when the two players return to action, he doesn't appear to be too hampered, despite failing to get a point on the board during Djokovic's service game.

BREAK! That could be that as far as Bedene's challenge goes. Djokovic is playing with such freedom and he opens up his shoulders to bring up two break points. Bedene saves the first, but the world number one takes the second to move just three games away from the last 64.

Djokovic looks in full control at 30-0 but out of nowhere, a couple of mistakes and a double fault give Bedene a break point. The 27-year-old pulls through, though, with an ace consolidating the break of serve.

As I mentioned, Djokovic is playing with freedom, but it's maybe lowered his focus slightly. He has the chance of the double break but partly due to his mistakes and partly due to the hitting of Bedene, the chance slips by.

A solid first serve down the middle and a blistering backhand down the line are enough to earn Djokovic three game point but Bedene still fancies his chances in this match and a sharp return helps him get back to 40-30. The Slovenian shows tremendous defence to stay in the next point but he eventually nets to concede the game.

A double fault has Bedene in all kinds of trouble at 0-30, but not for the first time in this match, his serving helps him out of a hole. The world number 116 has game point but Djokovic a simply outrageous forehand winner to get to deuce. Bedene survives though as his opponent twice goes long, but Djokovic will serve for the match on his return.

MATCH! A solid first serve helps Djokovic into a 30-0 advantage which soon becomes 40-0 when a cross-court forehand forces Bedene to net. The Slovenian then fires wide down the line to give Djokovic his place in round two.

It took him a while to get going but that was decent enough from Djokovic in the end. He was only ever threatened when Bedene's high-risk approach paid off but as soon as he broke through midway through the first set, he was in total command. A full report of the match can be found by clicking here.

Over on Court 3, David Ferrer has made a stunning recovery after dropping the opening set to Thomaz Bellucci, putting together a run of 12 successive games to move two-sets-to-one ahead.

If you missed it earlier on, British number one Heather Watson was knocked out by Tsvetana Pironkova in their first-round clash. Watson was struggling with illness throughout the match, and she was quick to reveal her disappointment when speaking after the defeat.

Our No.1 seed @DjokerNole is comfortably through to 2R after def. #Bedene 6-3 6-2 6-4 on RLA #ausopen #adje pic.twitter.com/DMbvWChOk1

— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2015

RESULT! David Ferrer has booked his spot in round two. Thomaz Bellucci took the first set on a tie-break, but the Spaniard recovered impressively to win 6-7 6-2 6-0 6-3. You can now read a full report of his triumph.

Serena Williams begins her campaign at around 8am, GMT, but first it's the turn of sister Venus who is on court in the Hisense Arena against Maria Torro-Flor. It's been a fast start for the 34-year-old so far, who leads 3-1.

Earlier on Tuesday, James Ward fell to a four-set defeat at the hands of Fernando Verdasco but the British number two has insisted that he was happy with the level of his performance against the 31st seed.

Venus Williams has secured the first set over on the Hisense Arena. She looks well on the way to a match with either Lauren Davis or Aleksandra Krunic.

Kyle Edmund may have suffered defeat to Steve Johnson earlier on Tuesday, but the British number three is taking the positives from his run through the qualifying rounds to achieve his place in the main draw in Melbourne.

RESULT! Venus Williams has completed a dominant victory over Maria Torro-Flor, prevailing 6-2 6-2 inside little more than an hour. Full details can be found here.

With the day session slowly coming to an end in Melbourne, it's time to start thinking about the night offering on the Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas. As expected, supporters look in for a treat!

First up on Rod Laver we have Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt, who is playing in his 19th consecutive Australian Open. That's a remarkable record! The 33-year-old isn't going to challenge for the title but he'll be hoping to come through tonight's match with Zhang Ze. Following that match, fellow Australian representative Ajla Tomljanovic will take on Shelby Rogers.

Over on Margaret Court Arena, the all-French clash between Lucas Pouille and Gael Monfils will follow the match that we will be covering from 8am between Serena Williams and Alison Van Uytvanck. It should be routine stuff for the American but in the not so distant past, we have seen her almost come unstuck against an outsider.

The top seed in the ladies draw is now on court preparing to start her campaign. The Australian Open has been something of a struggle for Serena Williams in the last few years. Since winning her fifth title in Melbourne in 2010, she's missed one tournament, been knocked out twice in the fourth round and had an injury affected quarter-final appearance. She'll be hoping to end that run this year.

If you've been checking out some of the pictures from the Australian Open, you will no doubt have noticed that Nike have provided their players with some rather tropically-coloured kit for this tournament. Williams will be no different:

Mobility and control, on every point. @SerenaWilliams NA: http://t.co/oQFmWobGnD WE: http://t.co/hFYAkvespE pic.twitter.com/4qnWJWZ72N

— Nike Tennis (@NikeTennis) January 16, 2015

Right then, the top seed will be serving first, and she's ready to go

It's a smooth start for the world number one as she breezes through her first game. Van Uytvanck loses the first three points with long returns before Williams blasts an ace down the middle to wrap up the game.

BREAK! Van Uytvanck makes a strong start as her opening serve of the match goes for an ace. A couple of well-timed net points put Serena ahead in the time game though, and she gets the first break point of the game when the Belgian hits the net with her backhand, and a wide forehand allows Williams to wrap up the game.

RESULT! Over on court two, sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has eased her way into the second round with a straight sets win over Kurumi Nara.

At 30-30, Williams makes a double fault to give the Belgian a chance to get the break back straight away, but she quickly gets the game back level with a solid backhand before seeing out the game with an ace.

You can reed more about Radwanska's 6-3 6-0 win in our match report.

BREAK! Once again, Van Uytvanck opens her game with an ace, but soon finds herself making a string of errors to give Williams a chance for a double break. Van Uytvanck gets the game back to deuce with a couple of powerful serves, but a wide forehand followed by a double fault hands the top seed the game.

Van Uytvanck is really struggling to return the ever-powerful Williams serve, blasting three long in a row to hand Williams another comfortable hold. The Belgian is being completely played off court at the moment, while Williams is only a game off the set after just 16 minutes on court.

SET! Van Uytvanck is really pressing on her serve to try and give herself a chance in this game, but a double fault followed by a poorly-executed backhand give Williams set point, and the top seed wraps it up when she attacks the Belgian's second serve with her backhand.

So after just 21 minutes, Williams is already halfway to a place in the second round. Incidentally, the winner of this match will face Russia's Vera Zvonareva next.

Williams isn't messing around as she quickly wraps up the first game of the second set. Van Uytvanck hands her the first couple of points with some more long returns, before the world number one slices a backhand past her opponent while finishing the game with an ace.

Van Uytvanck finally gets herself on the board with a superb service game. The Belgian's serve has plenty of pace behind it, and she forces a couple of poor returns from Williams, before the American puts too much on a forehand slice. There's a big cheer from the crowd as Van Uytvanck wraps up the game - clearly they want to see the world number one have to work for her place in the second round.

The fans over on the Rod Laver Arena have something to cheer about too as former world number one Lleyton Hewitt has taken the first set in his match against Ze Zhang at his home Grand Slam.

Van Uytvanck appears more confident as she attacks the Williams serve, but she's tries too hard with a backhand to let Williams edge ahead, and she sees the game out with consecutive aces.

Van Uytvanck has really got her game together after a rather dismal first set, hitting some punchy shots from the back of the court, but a sloppy forehand allows Williams to take the game to deuce. However, the world number one doesn't seem quite as settled as she was earlier, sending her forehand long before slicing the ball into the net to give the Belgian the game.

Williams looks to have her focus back at the start of her service game, hitting back-to-back aces, before blasting another pair past the Belgian after a backhand error. She may not be dominating her opponent's service games like she was in the first set, but her own serve remains formidable.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka cruised into the second round earlier with a 6-3 6-2 win over former semi-finalist Sloane Stephens. She admits she's relieved to be through.

Van Utyvanck isn't going away in this second set as her serve continues to stretch the world number one. Williams is particularly struggling with her backhand, blasting it long twice to give the world number 106 the hold.

When Williams gets her first serve in she looks unbeatable, but she misses a couple to let Van Uytvanck take the game to deuce. Williams finds something extra to see out the game though, with some potent ground strokes forward a mistake from the Belgian before Van Uytvanck's backhand found the net.

Williams is starting to look a bit frustrated as Van Uytvanck continues to stick around. The two players split the first four points of the game, but Williams is stretched by a forehand to the back corner from Van Uytvanck before the top seed loses her footing rushing into the net to attempt a volley.

Williams looks to be in trouble as her backhand lets her down again, gifting Van Uytvanck the first two points of the set. However, the top seed responds with some of her most difficult serve to put the Belgian's returns under pressure, and she takes the game, which leaves her opponent serving to stay in the match next.

GAME, SET & MATCH! Williams does just enough when it matters to secure her place in the second round! She edges in front with a superb forehand down the sideline, before Van Uytvanck mis-hits the ball to bring up match point, and the five-time champions wraps it up with a well-timed backhand winner.

It was certainly two contrasting sets from the world number one. She looked unstoppable in the first set, but was lucky to make it through the second. It would have been interesting to see how she responded in a decider. Next up is a rematch of the 2010 Wimbledon final as she takes on Vera Zvonereva later this week.

The top seed in the men's draw also progressed in straight sets earlier this morning, and he believes that Spain's Rafael Nadal could challenge for the title this year.

It was a good opening day for the Australians yesterday, as seven players made it into the second round, and they've been joined by Sam Stosur today. Former player Pat Rafter, who is now Tennis Australia's director of performance, believes that some of the country's younger players are showing great "potential".

There could be another Aussie joining his compatriots in the second round yet, as Lleyton Hewitt has just taken the third set 6-0 in his match with Ze Zhang after losing the second. Meanwhile, the ever-entertaining Gael Monfils has just got his match underway on the Margaret Court Arena. It's still on serve in the first set against another Frenchman, Lucas Pouille.

It's flowing. #Hewitt up 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, 2-0 v #Zhang. Pumped! The Aussie has only 18 winners to 28. All good #ausopen pic.twitter.com/SKYpiKFa4D — Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2015

World number one Novak Djokovic came through his encouter against Aljaz Bedene in straight sets earlier, but admits that he was surprised at how hard he had to work to see off the Slovenian qualifier.

Serena Williams' win earlier this morning keeps her hopes of winning a 19th Grand Slam title alive. The top seed, who is a five-time champion in this competition, admits that that would be "beyond amazing".

Serena's sister, Venus Williams, is also through to the second round, having knocked out Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor earlier. Despite the 34-year-old having not won a Grand Slam in seven years, she insists that she still loves playing tennis.

Sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska is another one into the second round, and she admits that she was "very happy" with her performance in her 6-3 6-0 win over Kurumi Nara.

More good news for the Aussie crowd - Lleyton Hewitt is through to the second round after beating Zhang Ze in four sets this morning. With Casey Dellacqua and Sam Stosur also winning today, that makes it 10 Australians into the second round in Melbourne.

Last year's beaten US Open finalist Kei Nishikori made it through in straight sets, but says that Nicolas Almagro gave him a tough match.

17th seed Gael Monfils is in trouble on the Margaret Court Arena. He lost the opening set in his match against Lucas Pouille in straight sets, and he's already a break down in the second set, and seems to be struggling with his movement.

Last year's women's champion, Li Na, retired a few months after winning her second Grand Slam title. Li was the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam, and Kei Nishikori hopes that he can match her achievements during his career.

American Sloane Stephens reached the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago, but she's out in the first round this time, losing in straight sets to Victoria Azarenka. However, she says that she will not dwell on the defeat, which comes just a few weeks after her return from a wrist injury.

Here's the moment Serena Williams booked her place in the second round earlier today after beating Alison Van Uytvanck, a player ranked 105 places below her.
© AFP

Monfils is really having to battle to keep himself in contention in his first round match. The 17th seed lost the second set against Pouille 6-3, but the third set remains on serve.
© Getty Images

Serena Williams was not quite at her best today, particularly in her second set against Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck, and she admits that she always has a problem with "first-round jitters".

Things have started to improve for 17th seed Gael Monfils, he's pulled a set back against Lucas Pouille in the Margaret Court Arena.

Earlier, Lleyton Hewitt made it through to the second round at his home Grand Slam. He told the crowd after the match that he was happy to win on a "big occasion".
© Getty Images

There were concerns for British number one Heather Watson after she called out the doctor while feeling ill during her first-round defeat to Tsvetana Pironkova earlier. However, the 22-year-old is optimistic that the illness is not a recurrence of glandular fever, which wiped out much of her 2013 campaign.

There's an epic battle over on the Hisense Arena, where American Sam Querrey is in a fifth set decider with Vasek Pospisil.

"Let's go Sammy, let's go" is the cheer on Hisense as #Querrey levels at 2-2 in the 5th set with #Pospisil #ausopen pic.twitter.com/vGfHKIXMWk — Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2015

Also heading into a deciding set is the all-French clash between 17th seed Gael Monfils and Lucas Pouille. Monfils has come from two sets two to level the match, winning the fourth 6-1.

RESULT! The encounter we told you about between Sam Querrey and Vasek Pospisil is all over, with the Canadian edging out Querrey 6-3 6-7 2-6 6-4 6-4. He'll play Italy's Paolo Lorenzi in the second round.

Eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki avoided joining the seeds that were knocked out yesterday, beating American Taylor Townsend in straight sets. The Dane admits that she was not expecting a comfortable match in the first round.

If you've got a spare minute, why not check out the highlights from world number one Novak Djokovic's win over Aljaz Bedene earlier.

We've already touched on the big Australian presence in the second round of the tournament, with seven men and three women already into round two, with Ajla Tomljanovic on course to join them. The most experienced of the bunch is Lleyton Hewitt, and he believes that some of the younger players have big futures ahead of them.

RESULT! Gael Monfils has completed a mighty comeback, overturning a two-set deficit to beat compatriot Lucas Pouille, and book his place in the second round, where he will play Poland's Jerzy Janowicz.

So there's just one first-round match still to be decided, and that's the encounter currently underway on the Rod Laver Arena between American Shelby Rogers and Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia. Rogers took the opening set, but the home crowd have helped Tomljanovic back into it, and she's now two breaks up in the deciding set.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova made it through to the second round. While it wasn't a shock for the fourth seed to progress, she admits she's just happy to have avoided going out in the first round again.

RESULT! That's it! The second-round lineup for the Australia Open is complete, and typically, given the Aussie dominance so far, it's an Australian that claims the final spot as Ajla Tomljanovic beats Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-4 6-0. She'll play Varvara Lepchenko next.

So that brings a close to our day two coverage from the Australian Open. However, make sure you're back from midnight when we gear up for day three, when Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova will all be back in action. Until then, thanks for joining us this morning, we'll leave you with a shot of the impressively flexible Serena Williams taking a tumble in her win earlier. Goodbye.
© Getty Images