Quick Served: Australian Open Day 3

Osaka's jellyfish era, the NCAA tennis evolution and Nadal is back.

Jan 20, 2026

Welcome to round two, Chuckers. Andy and Producer Mike review Day 3 action and dive into the transformation of NCAA tennis as several former college players advance.

Rafael Nadal announced yesterday that he will play in the tournament’s Night of Legends on February 1.

Speaking of legends, Gael Monfils took a bow on Kia Arena, losing to Aussie qualifier Dane Sweeny in four wild sets. Served correspondent Liza Wastcoat brought it to you live on Instagram. Follow us for more real-time reports!

If you’re on site at Melbourne Park, find Liza and film a question for Andy!

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Served with Andy Roddick on Instagram: "This is YOUR MOMENT. Wa…

Watch Quick Served Day 3 on YouTube

Bracket Busters

No bracket is safe now—the biggest upset was [28] Joao Fonseca losing to former Georgia Bulldog Eliot Spizzirri 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

No. 22 seed Leylah Fernandez lost to Pepperdine alum Janice Tjen 6-2, 7-6, and [30] Maya Joint fell to Tereza Valentova 6-4, 6-4. Nikola Bartunkova took out Daria Kasatkina 7-6, 0-6, 6-3.

Who Cruised

No. 8 seed Ben Shelton survived his tough opening round against the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw, Ugo Humbert, 6-3, 7-6, 7-6.

No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina beat Kaja Juvan 6-4, 6-3 and [10] Belinda Bencic defeated Katie Boulter 6-0, 7-5.

In a live-action version of the 2016 meme, former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, returning from a long injury layoff, got a straight-set win over Sloane Stephens, who battled through qualifying to end a 13-match losing streak.

Defending champion [9] Madison Keys defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6, 6-1 in a match that was closer than the score suggests. Ukrainian Oliynykova, wearing flower facial tattoos, was upbeat and touching in defeat:

“My father, he is a soldier. I’m alone here and before I was traveling with him. I am so proud of him, and actually, this is something that is keeping me motivated even more. After he joined the military, I progressed for over 200 [ranking] positions because I know it was his dream to see me on this court. I cannot explain these feelings, but when you are in this situation, you can put the right priorities in your life. I would do everything to make him even more proud. He just texted me and told me it was an amazing match. I made his day come true. What could be [a bigger] motivation? I cannot imagine this.” —Oleksandra Oliynykova after playing on Rod Laver Arena

More notable results

[9] Taylor Fritz def. Valentin Royer 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
[15] Karen Khachanov def. Alex Michelsen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
[16] Jakub Mensik def. Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3
[16] Naomi Osaka def. Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Tomas Machac def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Hubert Hurkacz def. Zizou Bergs, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3
[Q] Nishesh Basavareddy def. Chris O’Connell 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3

Butterfly Effect

Out with Labubus, in with jellyfish.

Naomi Osaka made the most of Rod Laver Arena’s entrance glow-up—players now enter on separate sides of the court instead of together. The two-time champ debuted her most flamboyant outfit yet, complete with a parasol, a billowing veil, detachable ruffled pants under her dress and a tasselled jacket that she put on for the coin flip.

Vogue said the star has “outdone herself’ with this “exoskeleton look.” Osaka designed the custom Nike kit with couturier Robert Wun, inspired by a jellyfish in one of her daughter’s books. A butterfly on the umbrella paid homage to the moment in Osaka’s 2021 AO title run when an insect landed on her face.

Wun, a tennis fan, was familiar with the iconic scene.

“One of the looks from my fall 2024 collection was inspired by her moment at court, when a butterfly landed on her face mid-match. A simple, beautiful scene that went viral as she gently placed it aside. I wanted to revisit that story and weave it into this design and collaboration.” —Robert Wun in Vogue

Osaka said she uses fashion to tell her own story, which is so often written by the media.

“I want to do things that create joy and happiness. Obviously, I really love fashion and it makes me excited to wake up and do the whole walk-on or whatever. It creates a little more joy in that match preparation,” she said.

Osaka is 1-0 in the jellyfish kit after beating Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

“I’ve learned that if I have that fear, it comes true more. When I was playing today, I told myself, keep your head on the path. If she beats you, then that’s unfortunate. But hey, at least you’re trending on Twitter,” she said.

Listen to Andy force Producer Mike to describe “jellyfish-inspired fashion” in today’s Quick Served.

Watch: Producer Mike on Osaka's Fit

Perfect Delivery

The quote that caught our attention yesterday was Ben Shelton responding to a journalist’s question about the proliferation of NCAA tennis players in the pro ranks.

“I think college players are dogs, for the most part. I don’t feel like there’s that many college players who come on tour and make it and are soft. I think you’ve got to get used to dealing with a lot when you’re in college. Not everything is catered to you. Being a professional tennis player is a very self-centered job. Everything is catered to you, you know, what your team does for you. You have all these people trying to make your life easier, and you can kind of lose sight of life, I guess.” —Ben Shelton in his post-match press conference

Andy had a lot to say about the evolution of NCAA tennis—aka “world player development.”

Jump to Perfect Delivery in Quick Served