It has been a compelling week in Melbourne. The energy and the tennis have all but disappointed, regardless of the time difference with Europe or the sheer volume of matches on offer. As with any great competition, there have been winners, losers and true entertainers.
Here’s our take on what the Australian Open has delivered over the past seven days — and what lies ahead.
He has changed his coach, but not his game. Carlos Alcaraz sealed his third-round passage on Friday, well ahead of Jannik Sinner. Standing in his way was the ever-cheeky Frenchman Corentin Moutet, a player renowned for unsettling opponents as much mentally as tactically. Yet there was little Moutet could do beyond entertaining the crowd against a Spaniard who has dismissed every rival this year in straight sets — Walton first, then Hanfmann, and now Moutet. Slowly but surely, Alcaraz loosened his arm, unleashing aces and those trademark, gravity-defying charges to the net.
When everything clicks, his smile says it all — and his opponents can only watch in quiet admiration. How does he do it? Few explanations exist for talent this raw. Next on his path is a familiar face on tour. Tommy Paul, the world No.19, arrives after dispatching fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who struggled with injury. Tonight, Paul finds himself firmly on Alcaraz’s menu.
Far on the opposite side of the draw stands Jannik Sinner, who across the first two rounds offered exactly what we have come to expect from him at Grand Slams: methodical dominance and ruthless efficiency. He was simply too good. Yet his third-round encounter against American Eliot Spizzirri came as a jolt. Spizzirri claimed the opening set and, for a moment, Sinner looked unsettled in conditions that rarely suit him — soaring temperatures and an open roof. Then the weather intervened. The roof closed, and suddenly we were back in Sinner’s more natural habitat. He recalibrated, raised his level, and dismantled the American point by point, even as Spizzirri continued to fight and entertain. Not this time, thought Sinner. Still, the third round offered the first hint of vulnerability in his campaign. Next up, fellow Italian Luciano Darderi will test whether that door is truly ajar.
Yet the biggest stories of the past week have not come from Sincaraz. Instead, it is the rest of the top-20 pack that has truly animated the Slam. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have both progressed to the fourth round without major disruption — although Djokovic flirted with controversy after striking a ball perilously close to a ball girl. The challenges now sharpen. Zverev faces Francisco Cerúndolo (No.18), one of the tournament’s early statement-makers after dismantling heavy hitter Andrey Rublev (No.15).
Cerúndolo’s forehand is a weapon worth watching, and in Melbourne he has felt anything but foreign, buoyed by vocal Argentine fans that have turned his matches into a Buenos Aires atmosphere. It will be a serious test for Zverev, whose second half of 2025 faltered and whose run here has shown moments of fragility. Djokovic, meanwhile, meets his first genuine test in Jakub Mensik — the young Czech fresh off an Auckland ATP 250 title, striking every ball with unrelenting intensity. A fourth round that promise emotions.
The main draw has also revealed an almost unrecognisable Alexander Bublik. Now ranked No.10 after lifting the Hong Kong Open, the Kazakh appears to have made the right choices — trusting his game and embracing greater responsibility off court. His third-round clash with Tomás Etcheverry was finely balanced, but Bublik leaned into his full repertoire, mixing thunderous aces with feathered drop shots to decisive effect. In form, brimming with confidence and playing with intent, Bublik is at his most dangerous. His sternest test in Australia awaits on Sunday, when he faces home favourite Alex de Minaur for a place in the quarter-finals.
A final name to have lit up Melbourne has been Daniil Medvedev. After struggling to move beyond the early rounds of Grand Slams last season — and exiting the Happy Slam in round two a year ago — the Russian has returned with renewed purpose. Straight-set wins over De Jong, a four-set battle against Halys, and a remarkable comeback against Fabian Marozsan have marked a steady ascent. Medvedev looks at ease again, reconciled with his game and ready to press on. Next comes a compelling test: a fourth-round meeting with Next Gen ATP champion Learner Tien (No.25), a collision between experience and youth, control and momentum.
In our previous report, we explored Iga Swiatek’s form and her pursuit of the Career Slam, alongside Aryna Sabalenka’s commanding presence in Australia — a force impossible to ignore on and off the court. That presence roared once more in Melbourne during her latest duel against Anastasia Potapova. For Swiatek, the opening three rounds have served as a gradual return to rhythm and faces Naomi Osaka next — a player in form and one who may well present her first true challenge in this tournament.
But a third contender has been quietly building momentum through the opening rounds: Coco Gauff. Straight-set victories in her first two matches were followed by a stern test against Hailey Baptiste, where she dropped a set before responding with authority — a reminder of why Gauff carries the mentality of a Slam winner. Her path, however, offers little respite. Karolína Muchová awaits next, before a potential quarter-final against either Mirra Andreeva or Elina Svitolina — both formidable opponents. Should Gauff steady her mind and tap into the level she displayed at Roland-Garros last year, a semi-final run could be within reach.
All eyes will also turn to Mirra Andreeva (No.8) as she prepares to meet Elina Svitolina in the fourth round. It promises to be an explosive encounter. The teenager has swept through her opening matches and already holds a head-to-head victory over the Ukrainian. For some time now, Andreeva has felt on the cusp of a major breakthrough — and this could well be her moment to push deep into the tournament and challenge the upper tier.
It is also worth keeping a close watch on Amanda Anisimova in the days ahead. She brushed aside Katerina Siniakova with a sublime display (6–1, 6–5), echoing the form that carried her to both Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2025. Hard courts suit Anisimova’s game, and she next faces Linda Noskova. Awaiting beyond could be a quarter-final showdown with the winner of Jessica Pegula versus Madison Keys — a test worthy of Melbourne’s second week.
