Australian Open 2026 LIVE updates: Countdown to Djokovic v Alcaraz continues as fans pack into Melbourne Park

For the second year in a row, K-pop fans have hovered around Ralph Lauren’s marquee from around midday – waiting for DK, vocalist at 13-member boy group SEVENTEEN.

As I was squished among them this evening, some admit they’ve waited for three hours, though it’s unclear if they bought a ground pass for a glimpse (and potentially an autograph) of their idol, or tonight’s blockbuster final.

K-Pop idol DK waves to fans on Sunday.Credit: Gabriela Sumampow

Meanwhile, those at the Ralph Lauren marquee welcomed him with screams of broken Korean (“Dokyeom-ah, yeogiyo!” says one, meaning “Dokyeom, over here!“), signs that say “Dokyeom, wink?” in Korean, merch and SEVENTEEN (the group) albums to sign, and a DSLR camera or two. The vocalist spent no more than five minutes waving, signing, and smiling for the cameras outside the marquee, and fans were quick to disperse once he’s back inside.

The 28-year-old, real name Seok-min Lee, sports 8.3 million Instagram followers, while his group SEVENTEEN flexes twice as much: 16.3 million. Unsurprisingly, his fans were quick to document his arrival in Melbourne on Friday.

There is a Carlos Alcaraz smile for every moment.

He will smile after producing an unforgettable highlight (something he often does). He will smile while in the middle of a pressure-filled, high-stakes grand slam final. He will even smile after losing a point.

The smiling assassin: Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz.Credit: Getty Images

Of all Alcaraz’s rare qualities that add up to make him a generational athlete who might end up as the greatest ever, it is his box-office smile that seven-time grand slam champion Mats Wilander believes is unique in world sport, let alone tennis.

“I can’t think of an athlete who smiles and laughs when he is playing – it’s amazing,” Wilander told this masthead.

“Ian Thorpe was never smiling... Michael Jordan, never. Tiger Woods, never. They were just so focused, and they were fierce competitors, which Carlos is, too. That’s the other thing – he is a fierce competitor while he is smiling.

“What I don’t understand with him is how he can do that with all the pressure and expectation on him.”

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