Brisbane International and United Cup live: Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka among headline acts

Coming up next on RAC Arena in Perth is US Open reigning champion Coco Gauff for Team USA against Donna Vekic of Croatia.

On day three of the United Cup, world No. 3 Gauff had a comprehensive win over former US Open finalist Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-2.

Aryna Sabalenka’s game is finding its groove as she begins her tournament in Brisbane.

Sabalenka already has a service break against Renata Zarazúa to lead 3-0 in the first set.

To her credit, Zarazúa did have a break point in the third game, but Sabalenka eventually held serve.

The world number one will be bidding to win a third consecutive Australian Open when she arrives at Melbourne Park next month.

The scoreline doesn’t reflect just how hard Croatia’s Borna Coric made USA’s Taylor Fritz work for that victory.

The American claimed a 6-3, 6-2 win for Team USA, but it was a tough match under the sun in Perth at RAC Arena.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is on court for her opening match in Brisbane.

The two-time defending Australian Open champion is playing Mexican Renata Zarazúa on Pat Rafter Arena.

Sabalenka enjoyed a bye in the first round.

We’ll keep you updated throughout the match.

Gun Australian junior Emerson Jones is out of the Canberra International following a straight-sets defeat to France’s Elsa Jacquemot.

Jones can take away much from her performance against the experienced Jacquemot, who won 6-2, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.

Sixteen-year-old Jones is coming off a stellar junior season in which she was runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Oksana Selekhmeteva, Alexandra Eala, Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Aoi Ito also moved through to the round of 16.

Disappointing result for the number four seed Spaniard, who falls to a three-set defeat to Elina Avanesyan that took over two hours on Pat Rafter Arena.

Avanesyan, the world number 43 from Armenia, won 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a bit of a boil over against the number 12-ranked 27-year-old.

Badosa never looked comfortable on her serve, and ended up ending the match with a double fault, a meek way for her to fall.

Well, that was another impressive day out for Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who ran France’s Chloe Paquet off the court with a 6-0, 6-2. She had the match wrapped up in an hour.

Paquet managed to get on the board in the second set, winning two games, but Paolini controlled the tempo of the match from start to finish.

Plenty of Italian flags being waved in the air at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney. They know they’ve got a star here.

He had to fight for it, but USA’s Taylor Fritz has claimed the first set against Croatia’s Borna Coric 6-3.

It’s hot in Perth, with Coric trying to find some shade between points. It’s making me want an iced tea just watching them sweat under the blazing sun.

One of the rising stars of Australian tennis, Emerson Jones, has a fight on her hands at the Canberra International.

The 16-year-old lost the first set to France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-2.

She was broken twice by Jacquemot, who is ranked 159 in the world.

Jones, who hails from the Gold Coast, has enjoyed an outstanding junior career.

She reached the singles finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon juniors this year.

Jones is ranked 373 on the WTA standings.

Rough news for Sebastian Korda this morning, the American number five seed is out of the tournament with a lower back issue.

Dušan Lajović, the Serbian world number 81, who has been ranked as high as 23, will take his place.

He gets to take on French world number 63 Arthur Cazaux.

Paula Badosa didn’t waste much time in wrapping up the second set against Elina Avanesyan.

The Spaniard won the second 6-1 to force a deciding set.

Avanesyan had earlier claimed the first 6-3.

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini made light work of France’s Chloe Paquet, winning the first set 6-0.

This match could be wrapped up very quickly.

It’s pretty wild to think Paolini, now the world No.4, had never made it past the first round of the grand slam until the Australian Open last year.

She’s right up there now.

All Italian tennis fans today:

In Sydney, Flavio Cobolli defeated France’s Ugo Humbert on day five of the United Cup to send Team Italy to the quarterfinals, while Jasmine Paolini is storming through the first set against Chloe Paquet 4-0.

Meanwhile, over at the Brisbane International, Matteo Arnaldi sent Aussie Alexei Popyrin packing with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Not the news Australian tennis fans want to hear but …

Alexei Popyrin has exited the Brisbane International following a straight-sets loss to Italian Matteo Arnaldi.

Arnaldi advances with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the seventh seed.

Popyrin looked sluggish but nothing can be taken away from Arnaldi, who held serve throughout the match while breaking his opponent three times.

Losing the first set may have been the spark Paula Badosa needed in her clash with Elina Avanesyan.

Fourth-seeded Badosa has raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second set.

Avanesyan won the first, 6-3.

World No.4 Italy’s Jasmine Paolini dominated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic with a crushing 6-1, 6-1 win on day three of the United Cup.

Now, she’s back on court to face France’s Chloe Paquet, ranked 96th in the world.

Giving that ranking differential, we could see Paolini running another muck in Sydney. But anything can happen in tennis.

And there’s a lot on the line for France. They can still progress to the quarterfinals if they finish with the highest rank of the second placers in each group.

Meanwhile, USA’s Taylor Fritz is on court against Croatia’s Borna Coric on RAC Arena.

Alexei Popyrin is down a break in the second set against Matteo Arnaldi.

Arnaldi will serve at 3-2, having earlier won the first 6-3.

Top seed Madison Keys has progressed to the round of 16 across the Tasman with a straight-sets victory over Italian Lucia Bronzetti.

Keys won 6-4, 6-4.

The world number 21 posted four aces on her way to victory, while landing 70 per cent of her first serves.

The American will play Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the next round.

Cristian moved through after her Ukrainian opponent Yuliia Starodubtseva was forced to retire in the second set of their match.

Paula Badosa will have to win in three sets if she is advance to the next round in Brisbane.

The fourth seed was broken late in the first set by Elina Avanesyan, who has claimed a 6-3 advantage.

Alexei Popyrin has some work to do if he is to keep his Brisbane International campaign alive.

The Australian seventh seed lost the first set to Matteo Arnaldi, who broke his opponent in the eighth game.

Arnaldi held serve in the following game to claim the set 6-3.

The Italian 23-year-old is ranked 37 on the ATP standings.

He was as high as 30 in August last year.