{"id":78550,"date":"2025-01-18T18:07:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T23:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=78550"},"modified":"2025-01-18T18:07:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T23:07:41","slug":"australian-open-third-round-mens-recap-monfils-renaissance-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/18\/australian-open-third-round-mens-recap-monfils-renaissance-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Third Round Men\u2019s Recap: Monfils Renaissance Continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

The third round of the Australian Open<\/a> saw one major upset, as top players and young stars otherwise progressed to the second week. LWOT recaps some of Melbourne\u2019s best men’s tennis over the course of Day 6 and Day 7.<\/p>\n

Australian Open Third Round Men\u2019s Recap<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Who Looked Good<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The big title favorites came through the third round unscathed. 10-time Australian Open Novak Djokovic<\/strong> dominated in what many fans expected to be a neck-and-neck match. He beat Tomas Machac<\/strong> 6-1 6-4 6-4, as Machac\u2019s form has gradually improved over the past couple of months. World #2 Alexander Zverev<\/strong> defeated Jacob Fearnley<\/strong> 6-3 6-4 6-4, and World #1 Jannik Sinner<\/strong> took out Marcos Giron<\/strong> 6-3 6-4 6-2.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carlos Alcaraz<\/strong> had a slightly tougher outing on the court. After two easy sets over Portuguese star Nuno Borges<\/strong>, he struggled in the third set, before improving his confidence<\/a> in a 6-2 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex Michelsen<\/strong> and Learner Tien<\/strong> 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<\/strong>, and Tien cruised past Corentin Moutet<\/strong> in straight sets.<\/p>\n

Ben Shelton<\/strong> impressed in one of the third round\u2019s more high-quality encounters. He defeated Lorenzo Musetti<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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Turning up the heat \ud83d\udd25@BenShelton<\/a> completes the job against Lorenzo Musetti to return to the fourth round.@AustralianOpen<\/a> | #AusOpen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QB1fJyk8mu<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) January 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Who Looked Bad<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A couple of big names faltered in the third round, but World #4 Taylor Fritz<\/strong> was the biggest victim. Fritz, who had his career-best season in 2024, was stunned by the 38-year-old Gael Monfils<\/strong>. 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\u2019 side, and it motivated him to fire his forehand and keep his focus together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The win marked Monfils\u2019 first-ever win over a top 4 seed at a Grand Slam, over two decades into his storied career.\u00a0<\/span>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).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/strong> wilt late in his third-round match against Ugo Humbert<\/strong>. Fils ultimately retired<\/a> at the start of the fourth set.<\/p>\n

Match of the Day(s)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some great showdowns could be chosen as the best match of the third round. Monfils\u2019 aforementioned win could be the best match because of the Frenchman\u2019s energy and big upset.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll pick two great matches \u2014 Jack Draper<\/strong>\u2019s five-set thriller over Alexandar Vukic, and Holger Rune<\/strong>\u2019s nighttime showdown over Miomir Kecmanovic<\/strong>. Draper\u2019s 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<\/a>, and it\u2019s the second time he\u2019s taken out an Aussie in this tournament.<\/p>\n

Rune cracked forehand winners left and right<\/a> 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\u2019s been struggling to do\u00a0lately<\/a>. This marks Rune\u2019s second fourth-round appearance in the Australian Open.<\/p>\n