ATP Tour

Zverev, De Minaur drop sets but advance at Australian Open

Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur recovered from nervy moments and rain disruption in late-night action on Wednesday in Melbourne to reach the third round at the Australian Open.

Third seed Zverev is aiming to win his maiden major this fortnight but was pushed by Alexandre Muller in his 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. The Frenchman was rock solid in the baseline exchanges throughout the first two sets, but Zverev upped his aggression once the roof was closed mid-way through the third to record victory in three hours and three minutes.

“Credit to him. Two days ago, he played 7-6 in the fifth against an Australian, Popyrin, and the way he came out, he played amazing tennis,” said Zverev, who hit 45 winners. “I thought it was a very high-level match. I didn’t know what his energy levels would be like but he is one of the fittest guys on Tour and I am extremely happy with this match.”

The German will next meet Cameron Norrie after the British lefty beat Emilio Nava 6-1, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5). Zverev has won all six of the pair’s previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, including a fourth-round clash at the AO in 2024.

Comes in clutch 😮‍💨

2025 finalist @AlexZverev books his spot in round three.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/K5tn8vxaSL

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 21, 2026

De Minaur is flying the home flag this fortnight in Melbourne and faced a scare against former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Hamad Medjedovic.

The Serbian won the first set in a tie-break before De Minaur rallied for a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory on Rod Laver Arena. De Minaur, who reached the quarter-finals last year in Melbourne, is competing at a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The 26-year-old was visibly stressed after losing the first set, but turned that tension into positive energy throughout the match, regularly lifting the crowd with his shotmaking and raucous roars. The sixth seed De Minaur plays Frances Tiafoe or Francisco Comesana in R3.

"I do take a lot of pride in these types of victories," De Minaur said. "More than anything because I'm playing a very tough opponent, who played a really high-quality tennis. I felt like I was able to hang with him and kind of maintain my level.

"As the match went on and on, I was able to even raise my level at times. That I'm very happy with, that I can kind of almost have that impact on opponents where they might start thinking that they're in for a long night and it's going to be very tough, especially best-of-five."

In other action, Learner Tien improved his impressive record at the AO with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 second-round win against Alexander Shevchenko. Last year on debut, the American became the youngest player to reach the fourth round in Melbourne since Rafael Nadal in 2005. He is now 5-1 at the major.

The 20-year-old Tien, who survived a five-set test against Marcos Giron in the first round, ended 2025 by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title. He will next play Nuno Borges, who beat Jordan Thompson 6-7(9), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Borges reached the fourth round in Melbourne in 2024.

Daniil Medvedev continued his perfect start to the season, defeating Quentin Halys 6-7(9), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The 29-year-old won the title in Brisbane earlier this month and was aggressive against Halys on Wednesday, striking 46 winners in his three-hour, four-minute win.

The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is a three-time Australian Open finalist, holding a 30-9 record at the event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Medvedev will meet Fabian Marozsan in the third round.

Alexander Bublik, competing as a Top 10 player for the first time, moved to 6-0 on the season after dispatching Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-4, 7-5. Seeds Tommy Paul and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina set a third-round meeting. Paul beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 and Davidovich Fokina overcame Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6(3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.