Five Challenger players to watch in Melbourne

ATPTour.com highlights five players from the ATP Challenger Tour to watch during the Australian Open.

Record-breaker Fearnley
The 23-year-old Jacob Fearnley has enjoyed one of the fastest ascents to the Top 100 in recent memory. Last January, the Briton was No. 646 in the PIF ATP Rankings and had competed in just one Challenger-level event (in 2022). Fearnley helped Texas Christian University claim the 2024 NCAA team title in May before making a splash at the pro level.

Fearnley lifted the trophy at his first four of five Challenger events last year, helping him eventually hit a career-high No. 86 this month. Fearnley became just the third player to finish a Challenger season with a win percentage of 90 per cent or greater (min. 25 matches played). He also made the biggest jump to the year-end Top 100 since Jannik Sinner in 2019.

The four-time ITA All-American, who took a set off Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, faces home favourite Nick Kyrgios in the first round. [Read our Fearnley feature from October, when the Briton discussed his dominant Challenger season and playing Djokovic].

A dream come true for Jacob Fearnley 💫#ATPChallenger | @the_LTA | @jakefearnley01 pic.twitter.com/8ALxMaYNqE

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 16, 2024

#NextGenATP champion Fonseca
Joao Fonseca will bring his electric run of form into his first major main-draw appearance. The 18-year-old won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF without dropping a set. The teenager became the second-youngest titlist in the event’s history, only behind Sinner, the Australian Open top seed and World No. 1.

Fonseca kickstarted his 2025 season by winning his second Challenger title in Canberra. Last August, he became the youngest Brazilian Challenger champion when he triumphed in Lexington, Kentucky. Fonseca raced through Melbourne qualifying, dropping just 12 games across three matches. Jeddah finalist Learner Tien also advanced through qualifying.

Fonseca, on the verge of cracking the Top 100, begins his campaign with a showdown against ninth seed Andrey Rublev. [Read 'Fonseca's talent so obvious at 2, even the yoga instructor noticed', which features insight from the teenager's parents].

Fast-rising Landaluce
Joining the likes of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the record books is not an easy feat, but that is just what Martin Landaluce did in 2024, when he became the fifth Spaniard since 2000 to win a Challenger title at age 18 or younger. Tommy Robredo and Nicolas Almagro, former Top 10 players in the PIF ATP Rankings, also accomplished the feat.

Landaluce, who won his maiden Challenger title in Olbia, Italy in October, finished ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, one spot shy from qualifying for the eight-player Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. Having celebrated his 19th birthday on 8 January — the same day he advanced to the final round of qualifying — Landaluce will make his major main-draw debut against Aussie wild card James McCabe. [Read 'Advice from Alcaraz & more, Landaluce living Spanish teenage dream'].

Basavareddy plays childhood idol
Fresh off a semi-final run at the ATP 250 in Auckland, Nishesh Basavareddy will continue his dream start to the season by facing his childhood idol, record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.

"I admire a lot of things in his game," Basavareddy told ATPTour.com in October when discussing Djokovic. "I think first, just his mental strength and all the toughness he has in every moment in his career. Also how he has left no stone unturned throughout his career. He’s worked on his diet, he’s worked on his physical strength, mental toughness. He has no holes."

The 19-year-old American turned pro in December following a dominant 2024 season on the ATP Challenger Tour. Basavareddy, who spent two years at Stanford University, won two Challenger titles and reached four additional finals at that level last season. He tallied a 41-13 match record, becoming just the third American in Challenger history (since 1978) to earn more than 40 wins in a single season. Tristan Boyer, another former Stanford player who is making his major main-draw debut in Melbourne, also accomplished the feat in 2024.

Basavareddy won the Puerto Vallarta Challenger in November to secure a spot in Jeddah. [Read our Basavareddy feature, which highlights his special relationship with former doubles No. 1 Rajeev Ram].

Home hope Walton
One of 14 Australians in the main draw, World No. 91 Walton will lean on home support when he faces Frenchman Quentin Halys in the first round. The 25-year-old Walton was one of two Australians to claim a pair of Challenger titles last season (Thanasi Kokkinakis). He made four additional finals at that level, tallying a 41-20 Challenger-match record in 2024, which was just his second full season as a professional.

The former University of Tennessee standout cracked the Top 100 for the first time after winning the Taipei Challenger last May. Walton earned his first major main-draw win at Wimbledon. Now his sights are set on adding to that count Down Under. [Read about Walton's golfing hobby and the time he nailed a hole-in-one].