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By Piers Newbery
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0041: Fortunately, I am extremely cheap so you can enjoy me all night. Monfils has the first break on Hisene Arena against Almagro, and Suarez Navarro has wrapped up the first 6-1 against her MJMS in 27 minutes. Serena has the double break against Peng.
0036: "Hey Piers - I texted you several days ago regarding the reason behind BBC television not covering the Aus Open day session. At the time you said you would look into it, any news?"
From anon via text on 81111
- Unbelievably, anon, I did chase it up and here is the official line:
"We are concentrating our efforts and resources on the Australian Open at the times, and with the matches, where we believe there will be most interest.
"So all Andy Murray's matches will be live on either BBC One or BBC Two, as well as 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra, and also streamed live on the BBC website. We are then also dedicating our resource on the night time session in Melbourne, as this coincides with the morning in the UK, where we feel there will be by far the most chance of a substantial number of viewers and listeners being able to access the coverage.
"Going through the night on the red button would incur considerable expense to bring the pictures from Australia, in return for a very small audience - and we do always need to make sure that we spend our money sensibly, to achieve the maximum return."
0032: Serena is an early break up on Peng, Suarez Navarro is racing away at 4-1 against Maria Jose Mar...... yeah. And great news for live text commentators, fellow Spaniard-with-a-long-name, Anabel Medina Garrigues, is a break up on Italian Flavia Pennetta.
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0028: Don't forget, Andy Murray will be on BBC Two, the Red Button, this website and 5 Live sports extra from 0830 GMT. If we invent any other media in the next eight hours it will be on that too. I may be coming down with Andymonium, over the last two days I have had an aggressive sports massage (painful), been to the gym (tedious), and eaten sushi (overdid it). Unlike Andy, I have also paid a large gas bill and cleaned my oven.
0024: It would be remiss of me not to inform you that Venus-slayer Carla Suarez Navarro is back in action on Court Two against fellow-Spaniard-with-a-long-name, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. I awoke bleary eyed amid my bizarre sleep pattern to catch the end of Suarez v Venus the other day - what a backhand. Best tennis of the week so far, I thought.
0022: Piers, great to have you back. In the words of Brucie...you're my favourite!
From Lindsay feeling merry ahead of 8.30am!
- I feel embarrassed posting that message (but obviously not too embarrassed to put it up).
0018: After much messing around with technical stuff I can inform you that play is under way and Nicolas Alamgro - conqueror of Andy Murray at last year's French Open - has taken the first game against Gael Monfils on Hisense Arena, and Peng Shuai is one up on Serena Williams on Rod Laver Arena.
0012: "I always knew greg had a grand slam left in him. Murray ought to look out at Wimbledon this summer. Greg's coming to get you!"
From Michael, London, via text on 81111
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0000: Greg Rusedski is considering a comeback! You read that right, and you can read more about it if you click the link.
2355: Good evening everyone, we're just eight hours and 35 minutes away from the latest stage in Andy Murray's Aussie Open campaign, but there's more than enough to keep us interested until then. Among those in action early on are Serena Williams, Gael Monfils, Amelie Mauresmo, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.... the French are annoyingly good, aren't they?
And if you are thinking of abandoning me, hold on five minutes as I have some fairly seismic tennis news heading your way....
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