Sabalenka ruthlessly handed 28th seed Tsurenko the dreaded "double bagel" in 52 minutes.

 A change of racket helped Daniil Medvedev come from two sets down and prevail over Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori at the Australian Open on Thursday in a battle that stretched four hours and 21 minutes.

Unseeded Russian Anna Blinkova dumped world number three Elena Rybakina out of the Australian Open on Thursday, squandering multiple match points in a final-set tie-break lasting more than 31 minutes before sealing victory.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set Thursday before rediscovering his mojo to battle into the Australian Open third round, coming good when it mattered.

Iga Swiatek came back from the brink to beat unseeded American Danielle Collins in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday, extending her winning run to 18 matches.

The world number one, who swears by a plant-based diet, extols the virtues of meditation and has previously used a spiritual guru, has never been shy of talking about his eccentricities.

Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva put her school work to one side Wednesday and instead underlined her huge potential by crushing sixth seed Ons Jabeur in under an hour at the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic survived a huge scare to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, beating home favourite Alexei Popyrin to stay on track for a historic 25th Grand Slam title.

In her fourth Grand Slam main draw appearance since making her debut at last year's French Open, Andreeva showed maturity beyond her years as Jabeur desperately sought answers from her coaching team after the early jolt.

The second seed, gunning to unseat 10-time champion Novak Djokovic from the world number one spot, was tested in a tight first set but then moved through the gears.

Sumit Nagal, India's top-ranked singles player, was left with less than a thousand dollars in his bank account at one point last year so it was no surprise he was beaming on Tuesday after ensuring a bumper payday at the Australian Open.

"Really happy, it's not easy to play the first match, especially the first Grand Slam of the season," said Swiatek, who owns three Roland Garros crowns and another at the US Open.

"Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I'm excited to be part of that," Nadal, who pulled out of the ongoing Australian Open with a muscle injury, said in a statement.

A single break proved enough for the French 16th seed to win the opening set against her rusty opponent and she dominated the second set tie-break to progress in Melbourne.

The 36-year-old put up stiff resistance in a 61-minute first set against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, but the 30th seed slowly ground him down to win 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

"The conditions were brutal," said Medvedev. "The more he (Atmane) plays this intensity, the better he will be prepared."

"I'm glad things turned around," Tsitsipas added. "I'm glad I showed the fight and spirit that I usually show on court so it feels great."

Fourth seed Gauff said ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park that she wanted to win "multiple" major titles after her breakthrough at Flushing Meadows.

An error-strewn Novak Djokovic kickstarted his bid for an 11th Australian Open and unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown in unconvincing fashion on Sunday, dropping a set to fearless teenage qualifier Dino Prizmic.

The popular American former world number one, himself widely considered among the best the sport has seen, also had lavish praise for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.