The normally ice cool "Queen Wen" got hot under the collar as she was sent packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in the second round by world number 97 Laura Siegemund of Germany.

The feisty Russian, a three-time finalist in Melbourne, lost his cool in the third set before rallying to beat unheralded Thai Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

The sixth seed from Kazakhstan demonstrated her pedigree as she manoeuvred the 16-year-old world junior number one from Australia to all parts of Margaret Court Arena.

The world number four wasted little energy to swat aside Jenson Brooksby, who is on the way back from a doping suspension, 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 on John Cain Arena.

In-form Gauff laid down a marker as she swept aside former champion and fellow American Sofia Kenin in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena.

Thunder and lightning saw players and fans rushing for cover, with the heavy rain a headache for organisers who face a match backlog.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said Saturday she would put the controversy surrounding her former coach Stefano Vukov to one side to focus on winning the Australian Open.

The British player, who faces a tough first round match against Russian 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles last year while Sinner claimed the Australian Open and U.S. Open trophies as the pair heralded a new era for the men's game by shutting out 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

The former world number one lifted three major singles titles, including Wimbledon in 1960, together with 16 Grand Slam doubles crowns

Romania's Simona Halep on Friday rounded on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for discrepencies in the treatment of world number two Iga Swiatek after testing positive for a banned substance.

"The player was provisionally suspended from Sept. 22 until Oct. 4, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining," the ITIA said in a statement.

The world number one eased to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 triumph against Tallon Griekspoor for the winning point after Matteo Berrettini had put the defending champions ahead with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.

The world number four enjoyed a stunning season, finishing as runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, winning her second career title in Dubai and then triumphing with Italy in doubles at the Olympics and again in Malaga.

Sinner, who lost last year's final to Novak Djokovic, did not put a foot wrong this time round as he finished undefeated and without dropping a set to earn $4,881,500 in prize money.

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is aiming to cap his emotional farewell from tennis with another Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next week.

Fifth-ranked Fritz triumphed 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3) over world number two Zverev in a thrilling match at the season-ending event in Turin.

World number four Daniil Medvedev said the ATP Tour calendar needs to be refocused around the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events with the lower-tier ATP 250 tournaments moved to an optional slot later in the year.

The small furry objects that are the focus of every tennis player's energy are spinning the stars at the ATP finals into a fury and leaving them deflated.

Czech Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday called for respect and professionalism in sports media as she hit out at "unprofessional" remarks made about her appearance during a broadcast on the Tennis Channel.