The crowd come alive when a man in the crowd catches a stray pass. Apparently they boo you in Melbourne if you don't attempt it! Brutal.

Eugenie Bouchard is picking up the pace and finally, in her sixth service game, she holds.

That will be a big relief for her.

So Bouchard can't hold her own serve, but she loves a break of serve.

A wonderful forehand winner sees the world number 112 move to 15-40.

And Halep goes wide. Bouchard breaks again! This is mad scenes.

Eugenie Bouchard is bring run ragged by the world number one.

Simona Halep hits three winners to break the Canadian's serve at the first opportunity in the second set.

Alexander Zverev is cruising against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany. The fourth seed has taken the first set 6-1 on Hisense Arena.

Camila Giorgi has hit back against Ashleigh Barty, and is one game away from taking the first set on Rod Laver Arena.

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Novak Djokovic speaking on court after his win against Gael Monfils in the extreme heat in Melbourne.

"It was obvious we both suffered in brutal conditions - especially in the first half of the match. I came in knowing it was going to be a big challenge. Gael's one of the best athletes in our sport. It was about hanging in there and using every opportunity presented. He wasn't at his best in the second and third set but the fourth could have gone either way. It's great to be back on the Rod Laver Arena.

On his elbow injury: "It's still not 100% but it's building. I have a lot of faith and self-belief. Coming to this court is a special feeling and this has been the single most successful court to play on. They call it a happy Slam for a reason."

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Halep brings up three set points and she needs just one chance, as Eugenie Bouchard flies a forehand past the corner.

The world number one has sewed that up in 36 minutes.

I need a new word for break. There are too many breaks to keep typing break.

Another three of those things for Halep.

One saved, two saved but at the third opportunity, Halep flies through the air and plants down into the empty hard court to break. Again.

I think I just wrote 'Bouchard breaks bag'.

I meant back. There are no broken bags here, I don't think.

As you were.

Leon Smith
GB Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Bouchard is on a stinker of a run, when you think about how she played in 2014.

But she is obviously a very good player. You don't just lose it completely. At some stage she is going to find form again.

Blimey. After a double break, Eugenie Bouchard has got three break back points!

The world number 112 hits wide to waste one, but takes the game with a fabulous forehand passing shot.

Brilliant from Simona Halep. On her second break point opportunity she finds the corner with a bullet winner.

A double break for the world number one.

Bouchard mixes up her shots well - with a drop shot and banging backhand - to move 40-15 ahead.

She gets a bit of help from the net in a decent rally but then she just shoots over the baseline with her final attempt to bring Halep one step closer.

And then the Canadian nets. Deuce.

Halep scampers to another break point but that is suffocated by a big ace from Bouchard.

Back to deuce we go.

*denotes next server

Right. What is it with microphones and umpires at this tournament? They just don't seem to work!

On Wednesday, we had Nick Kyrgios kicking off because he couldn't hear what the umpire was saying. That was down the broken mic.

And now the chair umpire in this game is screaming "THIRTY LOVE. THIRTY LOVE." I think it's a dud again. We can hear him on the TV but I don't think the crowd can.

Anyway, we've finally had a hold of serve and now Simona Halep has a healthy first-set lead.

Over on Rod Laver Arena, Ashleigh Barty is impressing her home crowd.

The Australian 18th seeds is a break to the good against Italian Camila Giorgi.

You get the feeling this is going to be an epic battle.

Both players stretch and screech their feet across the baseline with impressive athleticism.

We hover round on deuce, before Halep brings up a third break point. That's saved too, with a whizzing forehand on the chalk from Bouchard.

Break point number four appears, and Halep pulls out the stops to make sure she claims this one.

Errors, errors, everywhere. A double fault for Eugenie Bouchard now.

We're then treated to a wonderful pinball rally - it's 20 shots long - which Halep sees through with an inch perfect forehand. That was a cracking bit of tennis from both players - in both attack and defence.

The Romanian brings up two break points. Both are saved. To deuce...

Simona Halep double faults on her first service game as Bouchard moves to 0-30. Hummm.

And now the world number 112 earns two break points, and she needs just one chance to take it with a strong forehand strike.

Does anyone want to hold serve?

Eugenie Bouchard hits an aggressive forehand into the tiny frame of Simona Halep to get off the mark on her service game, but then she sends the ball long on the next point for 15-15.

The Canadian and the Romanian stay neck-and-neck before Halep sneaks an early break point opportunity.

The world number one is gifted the break after Bouchard hits out.

Halep's opponent has gone one better than her in Melbourne.

Eugenie Bouchard made it all the way to the last four in 2014, when she lost to Li Na and a few months later she was a Wimbledon finalist - having beaten Halep in the semis.

Since then, her progression at Grand Slam events has stuttered somewhat and she ended 2017 season ranked number 83 in the world - having once been number five.

Her 2014 victory at the All England Club remains her only win in three meetings against Halep.

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Romanian Simona Halep is still looking for her first Grand Slam silverware but she has been bestowed with another title in the women's game: world number one.

The 26-year-old moved to the top of the rankings in October after reaching the semi-finals of the China Open.

Her case of being number one without a major title isn't rare. In fact, she's the seventh woman to be in that position.

Halep is making her eighth main draw appearance in Melbourne and has twice been a quarter-finalist - in 2014 and 2015.

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