Highlights of the sixth day of the Australian Open on Friday (all times GMT): 0932 GAUFF DUMPS OUT FERNANDEZ IN STRAIGHT SETS American third seed Coco Gauff made light work of Leylah Fernandez, beating the Canadian 30th seed 6-4 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.

“The AO is something that connects really well with New Balance because the mix of sport and culture they have is incredible,” Evan Zeder, New Balance director of global sports marketing for tennis, tells me. “I think the AO is a perfect mix and it is just a big party.”

Australian Open is showcasing a crop of young men's players who are better equipped for the changes in tennis than their elders.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka shrugged off a shaky display to fight her way into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory over Clara Tauson on Friday. Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title and 11th at Melbourne Park later in the day and Carlos Alcaraz,

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, plays a backhand return to Rebecca Sramkova, of Slovakia, during their second round match at the Australian Open on Thursday in Melbourne.