Australian Open: Crowd under fire, top player disses Melbourne coffee

Melbourne's coffee culture has come under scrutiny during this year's Australian Open, while simultaneously, Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock defeat. Day five of the Australian Open was filled with drama, with multiple matches drawing significant attention.

On day five, the epic five-set battle between Russia's fifth seed Daniil Medvedev and American qualifier Learner Tien kept many viewers up late. Ultimately, the American teenager prevailed in a final-set tiebreak, in a match full of twists and turns. Tien won the first two sets and had a match point in the third-set tiebreak, but former US Open champion Medvedev fought back tenaciously. In the deciding set, Medvedev led 6-5 at one point, but Tien broke back and ultimately won the match, with the clock at Melbourne Park showing 2:55 am at the conclusion.

Following her victory over Rebecca Šramková, Polish player Iga Świątek made comments about Melbourne's coffee during a post-match interview, which offended local fans. When asked how Melbourne's coffee compared to coffee elsewhere in the world, Świątek stated, "I have to say I found better coffee shops in Sydney." This remark drew shock and boos from the local crowd. How Świątek will regain the crowd's favor will be a challenge on her path to winning her first Australian Open title.

Fan behavior has been a recurring focus during the first week of this year's Australian Open. American player Danielle Collins taunted the crowd after defeating Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava. After a service error, Collins told the crowd to "shut up" and made an obscene gesture to the audience after the match, leading to her being booed off the court. Former Australian tennis player John Millman criticized the behavior of some fans during the Australian Open, particularly regarding the treatment of James Duckworth. Some fans cheered when Duckworth lost to Spain's Roberto Carballés Baena, hoping the match would end quickly. Millman believes that Australian Open crowds need to be "more classy." British player Harriet Dart described the atmosphere at her first-round loss to Croatian Donna Vekić as being "like a football match."

World number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the third round after defeating Australian player Tristan Schoolkate. Schoolkate performed well early in the match, breaking serve and winning the first set. This was the first set that Sinner had lost in 102 days. Sinner had previously won 29 consecutive sets. The last time Sinner dropped a set was on October 6 against Argentine Tomás Etcheverry at the Shanghai Masters. Just like on October 6, Sinner quickly adjusted after losing a set and ultimately won the match. Additionally, the article lists the Australian players scheduled to compete on day six.