1310: Zut alors! Incredible end to the day's entertainment - and it's gone midnight in Australia. Not long until Piers Newbery returns for day three, featuring a trio of Brits and an Irishman. Toodle pip.

1307: Not any more, Stewie, not any more. Richard Gasquet hits the tape with a final backhand. Mikhail Youzhny prevails 6-7 4-6 7-6 7-6 6-4 in a match which delivered the sublime and ridiculous in equal measures.

From Stewie in Reading, having just beaten Federer in 4 on Wii tennis, via text: "This match is still going on? Chateauneuf du Pape! (as the French, or Del Boy might say)"

1302: Mikhail Youzhny, in between desperately trying to shake some life into his legs, holds serve to take a 5-4 lead. He is a game away from the second round. I feel there should be more reward for winning this than just a place in the second round... Youznhy asks the umpire if he can have some more cramp treatment - but on a different part of the body. Nice try, Mik, but no.

1258: All you can do is laugh at this stage. Gasquet's the one hobbling now. Youzhny rips a SENSATIONAL forehand down the line and breaks back to make it 4-4. Not sure if this is good news or bad news: there are no tie-breaks in the fifth set at the Aussie Open.

From Chrisbhoy via text: "Re 1219: Cheesy, it's really wrong that I have a French degree and had to look it up. I'm very good on 20th century French literature though."
Standards are really slipping... next you'll be telling me you don't know how to say 'the monkey is under the table'

1250: Gasquet holds for a 4-2 lead. He looks confident now - but I'm not falling for it. The new cramp rules say you cannot take a medical time-out for treatment, and you can only have treatment during a changeover, and only twice.

1247: Richard Gasquet breaks for a 3-2 lead against the crampy Mikhail Youzhny. Let's not pretend that's a decisive break though. This is Richard Gasquet we are talking about. Youzhny gets some more massage on his thighs at the changeover - and apparently he can have no more treatment for cramp.

1244: Only one other match still going on and it does indeed involve the ponytailed Belgian Xavier Malisse. The 29-year-old, who came through qualifying, is locked at 5-5 in the fifth set against 26th seed Nicolas Almagro having dropped the opening two sets.

From hottheadd11 on Twitter: "No mention of Malisse's epic comeback Cheesy?"

1239: Strewth. Alicia Molik, who was 6-3 5-2 up, goes down 3-6 7-6 6-2 to France's Julie Coin. By my reckoning, that leaves three Aussies in the women's draw - which is only one more than Great Britain. Just thought I'd point that out.

From anon via text: "Re 1219: Is it wrong that I have an A-level in French and just had to put 'tant pis' into a translator to know what you were on about?"
Yes. GCSE level French, that is

1234: Gasquet earns another break point - and this time he produces a brilliant defensive lob, sending Youzhny scampering back to the baseline. He bounce-smashes down the line - and on hearing the call of out, screams "Noooooooooo." It was in the trams though. He'll get a quickfire massage from the trainer now. Youzhny leads 2-1 in the fifth.

1230: It may be delaying my lunch - but this Gasquet-Youzhny encounter is a belter so I forgive them. Youzhny jumps out into 2-0 lead against a disheartened Gasquet - but the Russian's cramp returns with a vengeance as he serves for a 3-0 lead. Gasquet has break-back points. He wisely goes for a drop shot - but it's absolutely disastrous and drifts into the trams. Deuce. It's all going horribly wrong for Alicia Molik on Rod Laver Arena. She is now 5-3 down in the third set against Julie Coin.

From Linda, now on lunch in Anglesey, via text: "Re 1207: Cheers for the photo Caroline. Can't wait for the white and olive green number..."

1219: Two set points for Mikhail Youzhny... He flicks up a decent lob, but Gasquet gets a good angle on his backhand overhead. Youzhny chases the width of the court to fire a backhand into the open court - and we go to a fifth set. A furious Gasquet is warned for racquet abuse. Tant pis, Richard, tant pis.

1215: Still on serve in the breaker, Youzhny leading 4-3.

1210: Richard Gasquet has two match points... Youzhny saves the first with a big serve and then is let off the hook by some unbelievably tentative play by the Frenchman. Gasquet just pats the ball back over, hoping the Russian will make an error. He doesn't. A big forehand into the corner forces Gasquet to net. Youzhny comes through to take it to a tie-break. The Russian jogs to the chair - and it's Gasquet who now looking he's struggling. I have no idea which way this tie-break is going to go.

NoDjo's brush with the dark side

1207: Linda (working hard in Anglesey, she claims) has texted in to ask nicely for a picture of Novak Djokovic's silky black number. Your wish...

1201: Yet more drama on Margaret Court Arena where Mikhail Youzhny appears to be suffering from cramp. The new rules say that you can only receive treatment for cramp during a changeover, and you can't have an injury time-out. But the trainer only arrived on court at the end of the changeover - so we now have a heated discussion between Youzhny, trainer and umpire. The Russian is about to serve to stay in the match.

1156:DavindaAulak on Twitter reckons Al in London (see earlier text) might have got his Fernandos muddled up. "Gisela Dulko was Fernando Gonzalez's ex-girlfriend, not Verdasco's," asserts Davinda. Actually, the sultry Argentine has been linked with both Fernandos. Bizarrely, she is also rumoured to have dated Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago. A hat-trick, then.

1151: Richard Gasquet holds comfortably to lead 5-4 in the fourth against Mikhail Youzhny. Just one tantalising game away from the second round is the Frenchman. Alicia Molik and Julie Coin are in a second-set tie-break.

From anon via text: "I'm confident in any Murray match until he starts bringing out his 'yawning' motion. Most Murray fans will know what I mean. Once that happens... say night night."

1142: Hot off the press, tomorrow's BBC coverage details. From 0800 GMT, you can watch Andy Murray v Marc Gicquel live on BBC Two and online (UK only). Radio 5 live sports extra will provide commentary. There may be further coverage on the Red Button, but it depends what time Murray v Gicquel finishes.

Novak Djokovic on his first-round win: "It's my first match of the season - so everything's a a bit slower than you expect. The important thing is that I won the first set and then I got the rhythm. After that, I had the match under control even though there were some difficult moments. It was a very exhausting season for me last year so I tried to skip the opening tournaments of 2010. Maybe it was right thing to do, maybe not. We'll see."

1135: Mikhail Youzhny wallops a forehand down the line and he's got the break back and now trails 3-2 in the fourth. Perhaps Richard Gasquet was deafened by the sound of choking coming from Rod Laver Arena where Alicia Molik has squandered her handsome second-set lead and is now 5-5 with Julie Coin.

Britain's Katie O'Brien on Twitter: "Thanks for all the lovely messages. I'm 4th on Court 2 tomorrow. I don't even know where that is... I might need to get my site map out!"

1127: Daniel Gimeno-Traver flops a backhand return into the net to hand third seed and 2008 champion Novak Djokovic a 7-5 6-3 6-2 win on the Hisense Arena. NoDjo not all that impressive today by all accounts. He's got Marinko Matosevic or Marco Chiudinelli next. Richard Gasquet has jumped out into a 3-0 lead in the fourth set against Mikhail Youuzhny.

From Al, London, via text: "Ana Ivanovic will play Gisela Dulko in the second round, both ex-girlfriends of Fernando Verdasco. Do you think he'll come down and watch?"
And BBC Sport's Piers Newbery will be booking his flight right now...

1118: No problems for Novak Djokovic, who is a break up and two games from victory over Daniel G-T on the Hisense Arena. Alicia Molik is doing very nicely on Rod Laver Arena, leading Julie Coin 6-3 4-1. This is her first Grand Slam tournament since the 2008 Aussie Open. In 2006, she took part in Dancing with the Stars (the Oz equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing). She was booted out in the third week, with weatherman Grant Denyer going on to win it ahead of boxer Kostya Tszyu.

1111: Mikhail Youzhny fairly races through the tie-break, winning it 7-2. A fourth set it is. Richard Gasquet appears still to be troubled by that side injury - and the Russian fans are suddenly outdoing the French.

From Stewie in Reading, via text: "Re 0944: Dingo Diva works well as an anagram Ivan Dodig... Right I'm off to show Andreev how it's done on Wii tennis. Easy."

1106: Richard Gasquet takes the third set into a tie-break against Mikhail Youznhy. The Frenchman double-faults early on to give Youzhny a 2-0 lead - but we've been here before.

1059: My apologies, Robinson, I am trying to multi-task. Didn't think anyone would notice. Bubbling up nicely on Margaret Court Arena where Mikhail Youzhny has held off the wobbles for long enough to go 6-5 up in the third set against Richard Gasquet. Novak Djokovic is two sets up against DGT - who is only a letter away from a former Radio 1 breakfast DJ nicknamed the Hairy Cornflake. Sorry, I'm ever so tired.

From Robinson, Cambridge, via text: "Come on Cheesy, the gaps between your entries are getting longer and longer. I'm in danger of actually doing some work."

1051: Mikhail Youzhny serves for the third set against Richard Gasquet - but makes an almighty mess of it. The Russian, who squandered set points in the first-set tie-break, is broken to love and Gasquet will now serve to make it 5-5.

From StockportJack on Twitter: "Told everybody to back Federer to drop a set. Being stupid, I got greedy and put Davydenko 3-0 and Verdasco 3-0 with it."
Verdasco dropped the first set against Carsten Ball earlier

1036: NoDjo now a break up and cruising at 4-1 in the second set against Dan G-T. Aussie Aussie Aussie Alicia Molik - back after retiring for a year - is 3-2 with a break against Julie Coin. Is that a retirement? Or just an extended break? Mikhail Youzhny is fighting back against Richard Gasquet and leads 4-1 in the third, but is two sets down.

Nikolay Davydenko on his low profile: "I am not Paris Hilton. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service. For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous."

1017: And it's all going swimmingly for Richard Gasquet, now two sets to the good against Mikhail Youzhny. Gasquet, finally cleared of that doping charge in December, is unseeded this year and could be a fourth-round opponent for Novak Djokovic.

1015: Curious set of tennis on Hisense Arena. Novak Djokovic was a break down and faced a total of five break points - but comes through to take it 7-5 against Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Julie Coin and Alicia Molik are just getting under way on Rod Laver Arena.

From Stuart, Edinburgh, via text: "I've decided that I don't want Andy Murray to win a Grand Slam yet. I think he should keep getting close for the next few years, bomb out of the top 100, get a wildcard to Wimbledon in 2016, and do an Ivanisevic. That would be the greatest moment in sporting history. Unless of course Boggo pulls off a miraculous win at SW19 this year and creams Fed in the final."
Would it be mean to suggest you could have stopped at a 'miraculous win at SW19 this year'?

1004: NoDjo's outfit is part of his signature Falcon range, I have learned. He'll be wearing the all-black outfit for night matches, with a white and olive green version for the day. The range features five different coloured trainers, for the four Grand Slams and the World Tour Finals - plus another two for the night sessions in Melbourne and New York. Djokovic says: "I chose the Falcon as my signature line as I believe my style of play is just like a falcon hunting." Glad we've cleared that up.

1000: Novak Djokovic back on track now and level at 4-4 - but he can only laugh as Daniel G-T comes up with an audacious whippy forehand down the line. I feel it's safe now to address the important matter, namely Djokovic's outfit. It's made of black silky fabric, with red embroidery. I'm not 100% sure that I approve. Richard Gasquet, meanwhile, seems to be coping with that side injury OK. He's still up a break in set two against Mikhail Youzhny.

0957: He's done it! Dodig's done it! The Croat roars back from two sets down to knock out 23rd seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 2-6 1-6 6-4 6-1 6-1. That's his first ever win in a Grand Slam match - and fully merits a dusting-off of the (odd) shock graphic.

0952: Aussie Lleyton Hewitt races to a 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory over Ricardo Hocevar. Christophe Rochus or Donald Young up next. I'm switching over to Novak Djokovic now. Improbably, the third seed is a break down and trailing Daniel Gimeno-Traver 4-3.

0938: Ivan Dodig has won two ATP-level matches in his entire career - although he has only played five. He has never won a Grand Slam match. He now leads Juan Carlos Ferrero 5-1 in the fifth set. Go Dodig. Meanwhile, Richard Gasquet has hit a spot of bother over on Margaret Court Arena. After winning an epic first-set tie-break against Mikhial Youzhny and going a break up in the second set, the Frenchman is now receiving treatment for a side injury. "Allez Richard," shout the French fans as their man lies on a towel and is prodded at by the trainer.

Andy Murray on Twitter: "My match last on MCA tmrw. got less chance of falling asleep at work during the day if you're in the uk haha."

0924: Live pictures are back just in time to see Gasquet sit down after winning the tie-break 11-9. Doesn't sound like we missed much then... ah. Apologies again. Novak Djokovic is about to get under way against Daniel Gimeno-Traver. The fast-fading Juan Carlos Ferrero is now 3-0 down in the fifth set against my new favourite Ivan Dodig.

0919: Hmmmm... my feed of Youzhny v Gasquet has frozen and if you're watching on the BBC, I fear yours may have too. Apologies for that. The clever people are working on it. Youzhny is suspended on the baseline, about to serve for the first-set tie-break. Agony. Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt is 6-1 6-2 1-1 to the good against Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar.

0915: Tomorrow's full schedule is out - and Andy Murray has got himself a night match. The fifth seed will face France's Marc Gicquel not before 0800 GMT on Margaret Court Arena. Elena Baltacha's second-round match against Kateryna Bondarenko in the second match on Court Six. Katie O'Brien meets Jelena Jankovic in the fourth match on Court Two. And the news you've all been waiting for: Ireland's Louk Sorensen v John Isner is third on Court Eight.

From Aoife in Ireland, via text: "All everyone is talking about is Sorensen's victory. Never been prouder to be Irish. John Isner should be afraid!! Come on Louk!!!"

0906: Sixth seed Venus Williams defeats Lucie Safarova 6-2 6-2, the Czech rather falling apart after I switched over. Sorry about that Lucie. Novak Djokovic will be on court shortly, up against Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Venus goes on to face Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja or Sybille Bammer of Austria.

0904: Good spot. Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero is indeed doing his very best Robin Soderling impression over on Court 13. The Spaniard took the first two sets 6-2 6-1, but has lost the last two 6-4 6-1 against the marvellously-named Ivan Dodig of Croatia. There's probably an anagram in there somewhere...

From ebjorshol on Twitter: "Another seed implosion in the making? Is Ferrero really wasting his two-set lead on Court 13?"

0857: Just flicked over from the backhand-fest on Margaret Court, because Lucie Safarova looked to be putting up a good fight against Venus Williams in the second set. I appear to have the mockers on the poor girl because at the very moment I switched over, she hit a second serve about two foot out to hand over the break. Venus leads 6-2 4-2.

0848: If exquisite backhands float your boat - and whose boat don't they float? - you should be watching the match on the aforementioned Margaret Court Arena (handily it's live on the Red Button and streamed on the website for UK users). Richard Gasquet has just lost his early advantage, Mikhail Youznhy breaking back with a sensational backhand drop shot. Gasquet leads 4-3.

0842: One day of rain and Australian Open organisers have hit the panic button. They've announced they're putting a roof on Margaret Court Arena, to make it three stadiums with lids. It's part of a £200m facelift for Melbourne Park as they bid to hang on to the opening Grand Slam of the year, and see off competition from Asia. Melbourne Park's current contract runs for six years.

0833: To the list of things I know about Ricardo Hocevar, I can add: he's nowhere near as good as Lleyton Hewitt. The Brazilian qualifier avoids the bagel on Rod Laver Arena but drops the first set 6-1. Oops. Venus Williams takes the first set 6-2 against Lucie Safarova. Richard Gasquet is a break up over Mikhail Youzhny. The French fans rejoice.

Fabrice Santoro on the best player he has faced in a career spanning four decades: "When you look at McEnroe, he was a genius on the court. What he was doing on the court was amazing. But I will say that the best opponent I ever had is Federer."

0820: Richard Gasquet holds his opening service game against Mikhail Youzhny, which prompts a group of French fans to burst into a shambolic rendition of La Marseillaise. Hope they've held something back in case he should win, I don't know, a set or something.

0817: Lleyton Hewitt, still carrying the hopes of the Aussie nation at the age of 28, is up against Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar, about whom I know very little. He's the world number 194 and came through qualifying. He beat Ireland's Conor Niland in the final round of qualies - thereby denying Ireland a heady two representatives in the main draw.

0806: Venus Williams has started her campaign at a canter and leads Lucie Safarova 3-0 in the first set on Hisense Arena. Still to come: Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik in the Rod Laver Arena night session (not playing each other though). Novak Djokovic follows Venus onto Hisense, and on Margaret Court, Mikhail Youzhny v Richard Gasquet in the battle of the backhands. That match will be live on the BBC's Red Button and streamed on the website (UK only).

5 live's Jonathan Overend on Twitter: "Rod Laver Arena schedule out for Wednesday. Kuzzy, Kim and Rafa during the day... night session is Henin v Dementieva and Cilic v Tomic. Good stuff."

0759: Much whooping and hollering on Margaret Court Arena as Marcos Baghdatis completes a 6-2 6-4 6-4 win over Paolo Lorenzi. Cyprus's greatest ever sportsman hasn't been past the fourth round since reaching the 2006 final. He faces Dave Ferrer in the next round.

0755: G'day. A small task for you, which may help ward off the sleep demons. Could you manually refresh this page? Two things will happen: Chris Bevan will be consigned to Australian Open day two history and some video will appear at the top (UK only). Magic.

0748: Well, that's me done for another day (or night, depending how you look at it) but don't worry - the tennis is far from over. Caroline Cheese is here to take you through to the end of day two... and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

0743: "Chris, I don't like bagels and the very sight of them on the live text is putting me off reading it... Any chance you could change the icon to doughnuts or polo mints?"
Shay Ladde in London, via text

0740: Women's 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska also looks in control in her match against Germany's Tatjana Malek. The Pole leads 5-1 in the first set.

0736: Time for a quick update from around the courts, starting with news of the 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis, who is two sets up against Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi on Margaret Court Arena. The Cypriot, who has a loyal and very vocal following, trails 2-3 on serve in the third set.

0729: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did not have to wait very long for his win - two games to be precise. He completes a 6-3 6-4 6-4 triumph and does a little victory jig to celebrate. Nice work.

0723: There is just no stopping Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has moved 5-3 up in the fourth set and is one game away from wrapping up his win over Sergiy Stakhovsky. If, as seems likely, the Frenchman goes through then he will face either Fabio Fognini of Italy or Taylor Dent of the United States in round two.

0718: Anyone hungry? If so, get your bagels here - particularly if you are Portugal's Frederico Gil, who has retired during his first round match with Spain's David Ferrer having lost the first 14 games. Gil was 6-0 6-0 2-0 down when he called it a day against the 17th seed, with injury cruelly denying him the chance to mount a stunning fightback.

0710: Now seems as good a time as any to remind you that the BBC's red button and website streaming will be across the Mikhail Youzhny-Richard Gasquet clash from 0800 GMT. Venus Williams, Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik are also in action later on Tuesday - but not all on the same court, obviously.

0702: At last, a bona-fide shock today! Eighth seed Robin Soderling is on the wrong end of it, squandering a two-set lead against Spain's Marcel Granollers, who wins 5-7 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-2, sealing a thrilling comeback with an ace.

0657: No such problems for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, however, as the 10th seed has just picked up the second set against Sergiy Stakhovsky to lead 6-3 6-4.

0652: I haven't brought you up to speed on Rob-Sod's progress for a while... but not a lot has changed in the last half-hour or so; he is still going downhill fast enough to win a place on Sweden's slalom team in the upcoming Winter Olympics. Marcel Granollers has come back from two sets down to level the match and is a break and 3-1 up in the decider.

0645: Fed v Andreev ended far too quickly in the end didn't it? I wouldn't have minded seeing five sets of that but, never mind, there is still plenty else going on round the courts at Melbourne Park. Oh, and if you want to check out Louk Sorensen's accent for yourselves, tune in to BBC Radio 5 live at 0650 GMT to hear Ireland's greatest ever tennis player (I think it's official now) being interviewed.

0638: Top seed Roger Federer after surviving a scare against Igor Andreev to book his place in the second round of the Australian Open: "I knew it was going to be difficult against Igor. It was a tough first round draw and I'm really really relieved that I'm through. In the third set I was in trouble and I was very lucky to get out of that one. I was fortunate there but overall I am pleased with my performance."

0635: Yep, a backhand winner wraps up what became a straightforward 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 win for Fed... but let's not forget how close he came to losing that third set.

0634: Make that a triple break for Fed, who now leads 5-0 in the fourth set and is well on his way to a second-round match with Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina or Romania's Victor Hanescu.

0630: Some news for Andy Murray, who has learnt his opponent in round two. The British number one will play Marc Gicquel after the Frenchman saw off Simone Bolelli 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in a match held over from Monday.

0629: No shocks here - Fed looks home and dry - but we have lost a couple of men's seeds today. Sam Querrey, seeded 25th, tumbled to a 6-3 2-6 6-4 6-3 defeat at the hands of Germany's Rainer Schuettler and Spain's Tommy Robredo, seeded 16th, has just lost 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Santiago Giraldo of Columbia. Neither result is exactly going to send tremors through the tennis world but my excuse is that I've been waiting ages to use this graphic. Sorry.

0625: Game over? It appears so for Igor Andreev. The Russian has given Fed a real test today but has just been broken for the second time in the fourth set to trail 3-0. He's run out of steam and is making far too many unforced errors.

0620: "My nerves are shot. That was surely one of the most nervous sets for any Federer fan to sit through."
Kim, hands still shaking, via text

0618: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who reached the final in Melbourne in 2008, has just started his 2010 campaign... it's never boring watching him is it? The mercurial Frenchman took the first set 6-3 against Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky but is 2-0 down in the second set.

0615: We had six breaks of serve in the third set, and we've just had our first in the fourth set after Fed piles the pressure on Andreev and gets his reward. The Russian is looking a bit tired now - and coming back from this would be asking an awful lot.

0614: "We homeschoolers dread matches like this! Economics essay is waiting!"
Mohamed, 17, in Dubai, via text

0611: While Fed appears to be back on track, Rob-Sod has run into a spot of bother over on Court Two. He went two sets up against Marcel Granollers but the Spaniard hit back to take the next one and is 5-3 up in the fourth. Looks like we might have a decider there.

0608: Ah. Andreev chooses exactly the worst time to forget how to find the mark with those booming forehands of his... and a series of mistakes hands Fed a 5-1 lead in the tie-break. There's no way back for the Russian from there and Fed goes on to take it 7-2 and move two sets to one up. Can Andreev raise his game again? I hope so, because this is the sort of match that makes staying up all night worthwhile...

0605: "I'm a med student doing nights on the labour ward... seen one baby appear, just waiting for the next.... trouble is I'm trying to (discreetly) follow the live text. Come on RFed, see if you can knock off Andreev before my next labouring woman pushes out a beautiful little babe."
anon, via text

0600: It's Andreev's turn to throw in a couple of mistakes and the wind on Rod Laver Arena seems to be affecting both players. The Russian is playing into the breeze at the moment and seems far less sure of himself than when it is behind him. It shows when he sees three set-points come and go before Fed fights back to break - that's three apiece now in this set, which has been unpredictable to say the least. It will be decided by a tie-break.

0553: Like I said earlier, Fed hasn't been playing badly so far... until now that is. A wild forehand doesn't help and a double-fault makes things far worse. That brings up two break points and Andreev takes full advantage, coming into the net to put away an overhead and move 6-5 up. He will serve for the third set next.

0547: "C'MON!" roars Fed, after a Andreev forehand flies long. That's another break for the world number one, who serves for the third set at 5-3. Surely the beginning of the end for the Russian? Er, no chance. Andreev immediately breaks back and is on serve at 4-5... does anyone want to try to predict the outcome of this one?

0541: "Tennis is great isn't it? Have a law exam tomorrow, followed by the most exciting game of my life (I'm a Man City fan), however I'm up well past bed time and can't take my eyes off it!"
Ryan in Scotland, via text

0537: Ouch! Andreev has another opportunity to break at 3-3, coming in at 30-40 to put away what should be a simple forehand after Fed puts too much on a drop shot. Sadly for the Russian, he makes a complete mess of it by sending the ball looping out. Chance gone, and he knows it - he stands motionless at the net with his head in his hands. Fed holds out to lead 4-3.

Katie O'Brien on Twitter: "Put in a good performance today. Feeling quite pleased with myself!"

0528: "Great to see Fed being tested... Makes you realise that if Andreev can do it, surely Murray can?! Or am I just setting the poor lad up for that inevitable courageous defeat? Maybe we should stick to supporting our success in the women's game thus far!"
Will, via text

0523: Don't be fooled that Fed's struggles are anything to do with him playing badly - he's not. The top seed shows just how good he is to break back immediately, putting pressure on Andreev's serve with some huge forehands of his own and coming into the net to finish off rallies with aplomb. We're level again at 2-2 in the third.

0520: Right then, we now know who Katie O'Brien will meet in round two - former world number one Jelena Jankovic. The eighth seed had a few problems in her first set against Monica Niculescu but dished out a bagel as she swept through the second to clinch a 6-4 6-0 win.

0516: Blimey, I shouldn't really take my eye off the Fed-Andreev game because, every time I do, the Russian does something extraordinary. Yes, it's that forehand again - and he has broken to lead 2-1 in the third set.

0514: I forgot to tell you earlier that James Blake is into round two after beating fellow veteran Arnaud Clement 7-5 7-5 6-2. Neither of those two are in Fabrice Santoro territory (he's 37) but they both seem to have been around for ages don't they. Clement reached the final here in 2001 - he won't be doing that again this year, clearly.

0505: Over on Court Two, Rob-Sod is looking in good shape after moving two sets up, and Jelena Jankovic is closing in on that match-up with Katie O'Brien... leading 6-4 4-0.

0503: Yep. Fed's really up and running now - finding the corner of the court with a fizzing forehand to break Andreev to love and level up the match at one set-all. That was a cracker.

0457: Piers has just listened to a Radio 5 live interview with Louk Sorensen and reports that, although the new star of Irish tennis is lacking an Irish accent, he is an authentic Irishman - well, he drinks Guinness for a start. "I grew up in Germany, that's why I probably have a German accent," said Sorensen. "But my father is Irish - he played Davis Cup for Ireland and he's the captain now.

0453: Andreev is not ready to give up on this second set yet. He is on the brink of going a second break down at 0-3 but digs deep to hold. Another twist? not just yet... Fed holds comfortably enough to lead 4-1 and he is keeping that Andreev forehand (fairly) quiet at the moment.

0449: Ah. I've realised I've done Scotland a bit of a disservice in my opening gambit (0356). Elena Baltacha, despite being born in Kiev, was raised in Perth. She lives in Ipswich now though, I might add.

0446: "Roger, why??? I can't be going through yet another (potential) two to sets to love down battle. I just can't."
Kim of the Shaking Hands, Hertfordshire, via text

0442: Fed may be a set down but he's hardly panicking - he barely looks bothered to be honest and reacts with some masterful net play to break Andreev at the first attempt and open up a 3-0 lead in the second set. He's still got some work to do in this one though.

0437: During all that excitement, Rob-Sod has sneaked the first set 7-5 against Marcus Granollers over on court two. And Jelena Jankovic is back on serve against Monica Niculescu on Hisense too.

0432: Sorry Heather and Elizabeth, it won't be Fed in three, that's for sure. Igor Andreev hits a series of ever-more punishing forehands to set up two set points and, although Fed saves the first one, he hits the net-cord in the next rally and sees the ball loop agonisingly long. That's the first set in the bag for the Russian, who is playing some fabulous stuff right now.

0430: "Sat in Federation Square watching Fed, with a lot of Federer fans! Sun is shining! Fed to win in three... loving all the Britons into the second round!"
Heather & Elizabeth in Melbourne, via text

0427: Wow. I wrote that last sentence with Fed at 0-30 on serve at 4-4, fully expecting him to turn it round, and feeling vindicated when he won the next point. However, two massive forehands by Igor Andreev mean that I am actually proved completely wrong. The Russian will serve for the first set next.

0424: News too of eighth seed Robin Soderling, who is under way in his first-round match with Spain's Marcel Granollers and level at 5-5 in the first set. I know you won't go to bed while Rob-Sod is in action... By the way, Fed is still looking cool and calm in the heat on Rod Laver, but cannot find a way past the Andreev serve right now - and is having a few problems holding serve himself.

0415: I'm sure Katie O'Brien will be watching events on Hisense Arena with interest because she will play the winner of Jelena Jankovic v Monica Niculescu in round two. It's the Romanian who has taken the early initiative, going a break up on the eighth seed to lead 3-2 in the first set.

0414: "Re 0338. Sarah, think what it says about Irish tennis that we just had our first ever Grand Slam match winner!"
Ruairi, Ireland, via text

0410: Right then, what is going on around the courts I hear you ask? Or at least I hope you ask. Well, for starters, Fed went a break up on Rod Laver Arena but Andreev immediately upped his game and hit back to get back on serve at 2-3. Some cracking rallies so far in that one.

0406: A little bit more info on Louk Sorensen for you... tennis clearly runs in his blood as his father Sean played in the main draw at Wimbledon in 1980, but lost. Still, he can't have been bad to get that far. Anyway, Louk is in line to meet Andy Murray in round four, should they both get that far, and he will have to play 33rd seed John Isner in round two. Isner just came through a marathon match with Andreas Seppi, winning 6-4 in the fifth.

0400: Meanwhile, Fed has just kicked off his bid for a 16th Grand Slam, and his match is going with serve so far at 1-1 despite the best efforts of Igor Andreev who sent down three double faults in his first service game - truly a man after my own heart. By the way, if you give this page a manual refresh you will see my name magically appear at the top of the page. Sorry about that.

0356: Morning folks. So an Englishwoman, a Scotswoman, a Scotsman and an Irishman are into the second round of the Australian Open. It sounds like the start of a (very bad) joke, doesn't it?

0348: The sun blazes down as Roger Federer strolls onto Rod Laver Arena sporting a pale blue t-shirt and white bandana. He will take on Igor Andreev for the third time, having won both previous encounters, although last time out he needed five sets at the 2008 US Open. I'm now going to switch to other more mundane tasks and leave you in the hands of BBC Sport's Chris Bevan for the next few hours, but I'll be back for day three. Whenever that starts.

0341: Nikolay Davydenko beats Dieter Kindlmann of Germany 6-1 6-0 6-3, and the Russian sixth seed will next face Carlos Moya or Illya Marchenko, with Federer a possible quarter-final opponent.

0338: "Cant sleep so im loving the australian open coverage. Plus three brits in the second round, madness. Though it does say something about british tennis when this excites us all so."
Sarah, Wales, via text

0332: Serena Williams beats Urszula Radwanska 6-2 6-1, and Fernando Verdasco beats Carsten Ball 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 6-2. Federer v Andreev up next on Laver, Jankovic v Niculescu on Hisense.

0328: Australian Open officials have announced that the tournament will become the first Grand Slam in the world to boast three undercover courts. Margaret Court Arena will have an extra 1500 seats added and a retractable roof, and there will be a new Eastern Plaza that will house 21 new courts. Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena will also be refurbished. Melbourne Park's contract to host the event expires in 2016 and there are fears it will then be vulnerable to rivals such as Shanghai, Dubai, Madrid and Sydney, apparently. It would be interesting to see Madrid host the Australian Open.

5 live's Jonathan Overend on Twitter: "The ITF confirms that Louk Sorensen is the first player representing Ireland to win a main draw singles match at a Grand Slam tournament."

0319: Gael Monfils beats Matthew Ebden 6-4 6-4 6-4 and is on course for a fourth-round meeting with Andy Murray. Serena gets the double break and is two games from victory. Roger, put the sudoku down.

0313: "Is it at all wrong to feel dissapointed that I cannot now moan at the lack of british participation in the second round of a major? I used to enjoy that... "
Anon via text

0310: Katie O'Brien on beating Patricia Mayr: "I knew it was a good opportunity. I had a good draw and I knew I had to go out and compete. I think I dictated the play today and made her do the running and wore her down. I think it was a good solid performance."

0302: Not my words, the words of the people. Some sad news for Santoro fans as he loses in straight sets to Marin Cilic. Will we ever see his like again? Actually, we'll probably see him again. Serena has the first set 6-2 against Radwanska, Verdasco is two sets to one and a break up on Ball, and Monfils is closing in on victory over Ebden.

0259: "Oh my. Steve rudge,vasos,piers and louk all for president! The recession is over."
L Col in dublin via text

0259: "Come on Sorensen, ya boy ya!!!!"
Larry, Dublin and Tipperary via text

0257: Great stuff from Sorensen, who surpasses Matt Doyle's achievement of making the first round of the Aussie Open in 1985. The 25-year-old, who is based in Stuttgart, will play John Isner or Andreas Seppi next - the pair are tiring themselves out in a fifth set.

0252: Louk Sorensen beats Yen-Hsun Lu 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-1 to reach the second round. "Arms in the air, Irish punters going mad," text 5 live's Steve Rudge. "Signing probably his first autographs."

0250: "Even the australian open website's scoreboard is down. And my friend's in america say that court 14 is the ONLY court not covered by camera's. Something' s up down there....."
Craig in norfolk via text

0249: "I am up and following the tennis as i work on my university project due next week! Who says Uni students don't work? Am hoping this makes it on so my sister and possibly my supervisor see it in the morning as I'm not sure they believe i ever do anything! Well done Katie and come on Louk!"
Sophie in the library in Cambridge via text

0248: Sorensen sees three match points disappear on the Lu serve, but the Irishman will serve for it at 5-1 in the fourth.

0246: "I think Eykyn and I have played on this court," texts 5 live's Steve Rudge wistfully. "I have memories of losing lots of balls on the tram track." Meanwhile, back in reality, John Isner and Andreas Seppi are going into a fifth on Court 19, with the winner to play Sorensen. Or Lu.

0241: Sorensen update..... and even via text I can tell it's chaos out on Court 14. "Sorensen 2 sets one up. 4 love up in 4th i think. Plenty of punters. Noisy trams going past.....5 love up in 4th."

0238: So who has already gone through on day two? Quiet a few people actually, including Ivanovic, Petrova and Bartoli on the women's side, and Nieminen and Berdych among the men.

0233: Lots of kind words flooding in for 5 live's Steve Rudge regarding his mission to update us all on Ireland's Louk Sorensen. Having said that, he's gone a bit quiet and I never found out if Vassos Alexander made it back. What the blazes is going on out on Court 14? It's the Area 52 of Melbourne Park.

0225: Serena gets an early break against Radwanska, while Mofnils moves two sets clear of Ebden and Davydenko is demolishing Kindlmann.

RothBs on Twitter: "One set all, eh? Fingers crossed Louk doesn't follow in Matt Doyle's 1985 footsteps and lose in the first round :-/"

0220: In a breathtaking example of selflessness, 5 live's Steve Rudge is going to try and keep me updated with the latest Sorensen-Lu news from courtside as the scoreboard has gone haywire. I hope he's got some sun block. Anyway, Sorensen is 4-1 in the third set, one set all.

0217: Court 3 is worth a mention for two reasons: 1. Marin Cilic is an outsider for the title; and 2. Fabrice Santoro is playing possibly his last ever Grand Slam match before retiring. I say possibly because, of course, he might win. And he might also turn up at Roland Garros, as the Frenchman does not seem to understand the concept of retirement i.e. you stop playing. Anyway, this is a record 70th Grand Slam for Santoro, beating Agassi's 61, and he is the first man to play in Grand Slams in four different decades. Don't rule out a fifth.

0210: Serena is out on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena, so depending upon how feisty Radwanska is feeling, Federer could be anything between one and three hours away. Meanwhile, Fed's new nemesis, and many people's tip for the title, is out on Court 2 and already 4-0 up against Dieter Kindlmann. I bring you.... Nikolay Davydenko!

0207: "According to QI (other Steven Fry quiz shows available) I only need 4 hours sleep to be healthy. How long til Fed's due on court?"
Jim (still a student...) via text

5 live's Jonathan Overend on Twitter: "LTA contingent swelling by the day, but at least they're smiling! Temperatures on the rise too - a bit more Melbourne-like now..."

0205: OK, Irish tennis fans, you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that both players are fighting fit, it's just the scoreboard that isn't working. The bad news is that it's now one set all.

0158: Sam Stosur beats Xinyun Han 6-1 3-6 6-2, so it's Serena and Radwanska up next on Laver. Monfils has taken the first set against Ebden and Verdasco levels up at one set all against Ball after dominating the tie-break.

0153: There has been a mysterious lack of activity for some time on the Court 14 scoreboard, which has Sorensen and Lu locked at 2-2 in the second set. I will endeavour to find out what's going on, but thanks several of you for sending your Irish up/down graphics. It's highly irregular but they might just get a run out. It's the middle of the night, who's to know? 5 live's Vassos Alexander is heading out to Court 14 right this very minute....

0145: A quick look ahead and coming up in the next half an hour or so on Laver will be Serena Williams against Urszula Radwanska, to be followed by Roger Federer against Igor Andreev. Igor lost 6-0 6-1 to Andy Murray in Perth the other day. Ouch.

0141: "Hi guys i'm john from dublin ireland. We are so proud of louk sorensen and great to see he won the 1st set against lu. i am also a huge fan of colin fleming and ken skupski in the doubles. go flemski! Go louk!!"
Cheers from john in dublin via text

0139: "I love jumping on a good bandwagon, come on louky."
Marko in Meath, Ireland, via text

0137: It all got a bit much there for a moment, hopefully a manual refresh will tidy up your page. Sorensen has lost his lead in the second set and it's on serve, Verdasco is in a real battle with Ball on Hisense at 4-4 in the second set, and Gael Monfils is under way against Aussie Matthew Ebden on MCA.

0127: Katie O'Brien beats Patricia Mayr 6-3 6-3 and will face Jelena Jankovic or Monica Niculescu in the second round. Well, I say.

0125: It's all going well.... too well, some might say. O'Brien and Mayr swap breaks to leave the Briton serving for the match, while Sorensen moves a set and a break up on Lu.

mollie5555 on Twitter: "Nice one Louk. What a 1st serve percentage! Keep the head now."

0122: The courtside interviewer asks Ivanovic about her wayward ball toss, the thing that has dogged her for the last year. Ask certain players about their weak areas and you'll get an icy stare at best, but our Ana is unfailingly good-natured. "I really thought it was better today actually," she says smiling, "but it's something I worked on a lot in the off-season."

0119: Hold on to your hats, O'Brien has a break and leads 6-3 4-2. Could Great Britain get three players into the second round of a Slam? Will the LTA organise an open-top bus tour on their return to the UK? Do the Redknapps really go on package holidays? Big questions, all.

0115: Ana Ivanovic sees one break disappear and, thanks to some now trademark dodgy serving, almost lets the double-break go, but eventually sees off Shenay Perry 6-2 6-3.

0112: I should update you on the main courts... so I will. Stosur is a set up but a break down against Han on Laver; has just dropped the first set against the quite handy Carsten Ball on Hisense; and Ivanovic is doing her best to make a 6-2 5-1 lead look vulnerable.

0109: It's all happening now (apart from regular updating, apologies again) - O'Brien recovers an early break in the second set, Ivanovic is making a meal of finishing off Perry, and Sorensen sees two early break points slip away in the second set against Lu.

0028: "Im in bed following fellow irishmans progress on slam tracker! Missus is not happy im keeping her awake. Come on louk!!!"
From andrew j in limerick, ireland, via text

0103: Sorensen takes the first set 6-4 against Lu. I have to tell you now that there is no Irish arrow - we've had even less use for one of those than a British 'Up' graphic in recent years, but that could be about to change.

0056: Apologies for any delays, we're having publishing problems. In the meantime, Katie O'Brien has wrapped up the first set 6-3 against Mayr and Sorensen is serving for the first set against Lu. And Coco Vandeweghe has lost the first eight games against Sandra Zahlavova on Court 21. Great name though.

0045: Bad news, celeb fans. The stardust sprinkled across Melbourne Park by Stefan Dennis on day one is in short supply 24 hours later. The best we can manage is the presenter of Deal or No Deal - Australia's Noel Edmonds - and four of his Dealettes (their word, not mine).

0039: Here we go - O'Brien makes the breakthrough to lead Mayr on Court 4. She's a Hull City fan, you know. Ivanovic breaks again and takes the first set 6-2.

0036: As well as my finely-crafted prose, you can fill the dark hours ahead with updates throughout the night on 5live Up All Night, before commentary from 0800 GMT as Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik take centre stage on Rod Laver Arena. Ivanovic is back in control on MCA at 5-2 against Perry, but it's hardly scintillating stuff.

0031: And the really good news, Aoife, is that Sorensen is already a break up against Yen-Hsun Lu, the man who beat Andy Murray at the Olympics. Sorensen is the first Irishman in 25 years to make the first round of a Grand Slam.

0028: "Cant wait for the sorensen match. Im so happy an irish man in finally in a grand slam. Come on Louk!!!"
From Aoife in Ireland via text

0026: After a good start, there are worrying signs for former world number one Ana Ivanovic as she lets an early break slip away against Perry. The Serb is down at 21 in the world these days and her confidence looks to be fragile at best. O' Brien is on serve against Mayr after three games.

0022: For anyone who missed it, you can still catch highlights of Andy Murray's win over Kevin Anderson for a few more hours. The Brit was in fine form and definitely looks to be bit more positive so far this year, with some heavier forehands and impressive volleying. He probably learned that off Laura Robson.

0017: An early scoot around the grounds sees Ivanovic and Perry, both decked out in yellow, share the opening two games, Mayr hold her opening service game against O'Brien, 21st seed Tomas Berdych get an early break against Robin Haase, and an early bid for top tennis name in Coco Vandeweghe on Court 21.

5 live's Steve Rudge on Twitter: "Morning all. Few more coppers around Flinders St station this morning keeping an eye on folks after the trouble yesterday."

0007: The temperature has not yet reached the shoe-melting heights of previous years but at least there is not much sign of rain today. We have world-class knocking up going on around Melbourne Park right now, with Sam Stosur and Xinyun Han on Rod Laver Arena, Fernando Verdasco and Carsten Ball on Hisense Arena, and an interesting one between Shenay Perry and Ana Ivanovic on Margaret Court Arena.

0001: As usual, your input is required. You can get in touch through Twitter or send your texts in to 81111 (UK) and +44 7786200666 (worldwide).

2359: An early bit of coverage info for you - the red button and website streaming will cover Mikhail Youzhny v Richard Gasquet from 0800 GMT.

2355: Good evening. After wins for Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha yesterday, we're just five minutes away from seeing if Katie O'Brien can continue this golden age of British tennis when she takes on Austria's Patricia Mayr out on Court 4. And if the notoriously dicey Melbourne weather permits, we will also get a first look at Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, the Williams sisters and Irish superstar Louk Sorensen in the hours that follow. Do not go to bed.