The third round of the Australian Open saw one major upset, as top players and young stars otherwise progressed to the second week. LWOT recaps some of Melbourne’s best men’s tennis over the course of Day 6 and Day 7.
Australian Open Third Round Men’s Recap
Who Looked Good
The big title favorites came through the third round unscathed. 10-time Australian Open Novak Djokovic dominated in what many fans expected to be a neck-and-neck match. He beat Tomas Machac 6-1 6-4 6-4, as Machac’s form has gradually improved over the past couple of months. World #2 Alexander Zverev defeated Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 6-4, and World #1 Jannik Sinner took out Marcos Giron 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Carlos Alcaraz had a slightly tougher outing on the court. After two easy sets over Portuguese star Nuno Borges, he struggled in the third set, before improving his confidence in a 6-2 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 win.
Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien continued their stunning runs in Australia. The two young Americans backed up big upset wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, respectively in third-round wins; Michelsen took out the veteran Karen Khachanov, and Tien cruised past Corentin Moutet in straight sets.
Ben Shelton impressed in one of the third round’s more high-quality encounters. He defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 3-6 6-4 7-6(5), hitting 11 aces and fighting in impressive rallies when under pressure. The American will feature in the second week of the Australian Open for the second time in his career.
Turning up the heat 🔥@BenShelton completes the job against Lorenzo Musetti to return to the fourth round.@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/QB1fJyk8mu
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 18, 2025
Who Looked Bad
A couple of big names faltered in the third round, but World #4 Taylor Fritz was the biggest victim. Fritz, who had his career-best season in 2024, was stunned by the 38-year-old Gael Monfils. Fritz stuck to the baseline for much of the match, and it was the Frenchman who took advantage of the big chances, claiming two elusive break point opportunities and only dropping serve once. The crowd was on Monfils’ side, and it motivated him to fire his forehand and keep his focus together.
The win marked Monfils’ first-ever win over a top 4 seed at a Grand Slam, over two decades into his storied career. He won 3-6 7-5 7-6(1) 6-4 in front of a packed Margaret Court Arena crowd. (Every court has been packed during the third round, in fact).
Otherwise, not many top players let down because of the high-quality level of play throughout the third round. I did expect Machac to bring more to the court against Djokovic, and it was also unfortunate to see Arthur Fils wilt late in his third-round match against Ugo Humbert. Fils ultimately retired at the start of the fourth set.
Match of the Day(s)
Some great showdowns could be chosen as the best match of the third round. Monfils’ aforementioned win could be the best match because of the Frenchman’s energy and big upset.
I’ll pick two great matches — Jack Draper’s five-set thriller over Alexandar Vukic, and Holger Rune’s nighttime showdown over Miomir Kecmanovic. Draper’s three wins at the Australian Open have all gone to a deciding set, with matches stretching past the four-hour mark. His 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6(5) 7-6(8) win was intense, and it’s the second time he’s taken out an Aussie in this tournament.
Rune cracked forehand winners left and right in his 6-7(5) 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4 win, finishing up after midnight on Margaret Court Arena. He battled through some cramps early in the set, but it was good to see the Dane get a big result in a Grand Slam, something he’s been struggling to do lately. This marks Rune’s second fourth-round appearance in the Australian Open.
Who will reach the quarterfinals? LWOT predicts all of the mathces, with some big matchups including Alcaraz vs Draper and Sinner vs Rune.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
