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Welcome to the Australian Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.

On day two in Melbourne, players sent messages of support to people involved in the Los Angeles wildfires, home players kicked on and there was a window into what it’s like to be a lucky loser in tennis.

How did tennis stars pay tribute to LA?

Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff became the latest players to send their sympathies to the victims of the wildfires wreaking havoc in Los Angeles.

Swiatek wrote a message on the camera lens after her straight-sets win over Katerina Siniakova, and Gauff did the same following her 6-3, 6-3 victory against Sofia Kenin. “Sending my love to Malibu and LA,” Swiatek wrote. “Stay Strong LA. Thank you, firefighters,” added Gauff.

On Sunday, Donna Vekic, whose coach Pam Shriver is at her home in Los Angeles, rather than in Melbourne as planned, drew a heart symbol next to “LA.” Asked about it in her news conference following a straight-sets win over Diane Parry, Vekic said: “It’s a very difficult situation for her. She’s home in LA. Her house is OK for now, but so many have lost everything, and it’s a horrible situation.

“We were doing our pre-season in LA this year, so we were just there two weeks ago. I really cannot believe what’s happening. We are very sad that she’s not here with us, but yeah…”

Vekic is just one of several players in Melbourne with friends or family affected by the fires in California. Naomi Osaka sent a message after her win over Caroline Garcia on Rod Laver Arena, revealing that one of the blazes had been just blocks from her home. Someone had to retrieve her daughter’s birth certificate.

All of the players are trying to get on as best they can, in a tournament that is all too familiar with the impact of wildfires. In 2020, smoke from bushfires in the Melbourne area led to concerns for players’ health, as the tournament organisers put on exhibitions and fundraisers for those affected.

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Charlie Eccleshare

How did the home hopes get on?

Australian tennis is in an interesting spot, with three seeded men here for the first time since 1982 but with the women in a transitional period. There are no Australians in the WTA Tour top 100, although there is a clutch of youngsters coming through. 

On Monday, things came together for the tournament’s host nation, which has become used to disappointment in recent years. 

At just after 6 p.m., Australian players had posted a record of seven wins and no losses on day two, with victories for Ajla Tomljanovic, Jordan Thompson, James Duckworth, Talia Gibson, James McCabe, Tristan Schoolkate and Aleksandar Vukic — a mixture of youngsters, relative veterans and late bloomers entering their prime who provide a handy snapshot of where Australian tennis is at, outside of the world No. 8 Alex de Minaur and the unpredictable Nick Kyrgios. 

The home winning streak was snapped when promising 18-year-old Maya Joint was thumped 6-3, 6-0 by No. 7 seed Jessica Pegula, but overall this was a highly satisfying day for the host nation. After Destanee Aiava came back from a set and 5-2 down to beat Greet Minnen and Christopher O’Connell lost a five-set match to No. 12 seed Tommy Paul, it finished with a 9-3 record.

GO DEEPER

Nick Kyrgios and Alex De Minaur: Two tennis magnets at opposite poles in Melbourne

Charlie Eccleshare

What’s in a tennis timezone?

Frances Tiafoe had one of those classically punishing Australian Open days for his opening match. Hot sun. Middle of the day. Five sets. Throwing up a mix of water and electrolytes. All’s well that ends well — 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-3 over Arthur Rinderknech of France — but still.

Tiafoe blamed his 11 a.m. start. That had him eating 12-hour-old chicken and rice (taken home from a restaurant the previous night) around an hour before he walked onto the court. A night owl such as Tiafoe does not want to be eating chicken and rice at 10 a.m.

He said he would ask for a night start next time around, so he didn’t realize that he was playing at night. Just not in Australia.

There’s a reason Gauff often kicks off the day session in Rod Laver Arena, and that Tiafoe got his 11 a.m. start against Rinderknech. It puts them in the sweet spot of prime time on the east coast of the United States, just where broadcaster ESPN would want the two Americans to be.

Frances Tiafoe came through heat and cramps to win. (Uichi Yamazaki / AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton get what Gauff and Tiafoe experienced on Monday in something of a stars-and-stripes festival for the U.S. sports TV giant, since they are all playing other Americans.

Navarro gets things started on Rod Laver against Peyton Stearns, a fellow former NCAA champion. That should flow right into Taylor Fritz, who is second up at John Cain Arena against Jenson Brooksby in an all-Californian encounter. Shelton is then in the third slot against Brandon Nakashima, for the States’ night-time audience.

One American who played Monday was keenly aware of the time difference between the U.S. and Australia.

Pegula, whose family own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, knew very well the team was playing the Denver Broncos in a playoff game Sunday afternoon in America and Monday morning in Australia. She had a mid-afternoon court time Monday. She slept in and watched the second half. The Bills won, so are in action again on Sunday night in the U.S./Monday lunchtime in Melbourne.

Matt Futterman

What’s it like to be a lucky loser?

Harriet Dart of Great Britain landed in the main draw of this year’s Australian Open by the skin of her teeth as a lucky loser. She had lost to Nao Hibino of Japan in the final round of qualifying, but then the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova pulled out just hours before the start of her match against Jana Fett of Croatia.

One minute Dart was hanging around the locker room, as she had for 12 hours Sunday, waiting for a call. Then she got that nod from the tournament supervisor and started hustling to prepare to play in a Grand Slam match that was next up on Court 12. 

And that’s about what the meeting with Fett looked like for Dart, who somehow prevailed, hobbling on an injured calf, in a match that included 19 breaks of serve in 32 games, winning in a match tiebreak, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6. Fett served for the match twice.

Stuff happens, said Dart, who was desperate to take advantage of any opportunity she received. Next up for her is Vekic, which is its own bit of luck. Vekic had played Dart’s friend and doubles partner Parry Sunday. Dart watched the whole match.

That day should be far far less surprising.

Matt Futterman

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(Top photo of Coco Gauff: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)