Alcaraz shines in 100th Grand Slam match as Sabalenka and Gauff stutter

Carlos Alcaraz marches connected towards extremity of youngest victor of each 4 majors arsenic helium powers connected astatine Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff took a rocky way to the 4th circular of the Australian Open connected ‍Friday, but Carlos Alcaraz’s roadworthy was ‍paved with golden successful his 100th Grand Slam match.

A time aft 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka led a parade of yesterday’s heroes into the 3rd round, the TikTok procreation had their infinitesimal successful the Melbourne Park sun.

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American 18-year-old Iva Jovic knocked retired seventh effect Jasmine Paolini 6-2 7-6(3) portion Canadian 19-year-old Victoria Mboko bushed 14th effect Clara Tauson to publication a last-16 blockbuster against twice-champion Sabalenka, a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) victor against Anastasia ⁠Potapova.

Alcaraz produced a highlight-reel 6-2 6-4 6-1 demolition of French drop-shot merchant Corentin Moutet earlier 21-year-old Gauff recovered from losing her archetypal acceptable of the tourney to ​overhaul chap American Hailey Baptiste 3-6 6-0 6-3.

Chasing a archetypal rubric astatine Melbourne Park, 22-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to go the youngest ‍man to triumph each 4 majors and has appeared unstoppable successful the archetypal week.

In the 2nd lucifer astatine Rod Laver Arena, helium won what mightiness extremity up arsenic the rally of the tourney against the flamboyant Moutet, chasing down a lob with a tweener past threading a passing changeable down the line.

The 32nd effect Moutet is nary slouch but helium was reduced to the ‍fall feline successful Alcaraz’s ⁠magic show, becoming the 14th unfortunate successful the Spaniard’s unbeaten tally against left-handers.

Despite the easiness of the win, chasing down Moutet’s driblet shots became a chore, Alcaraz joked.

“I thought we were successful a drop-shot contention – but decidedly helium won,” helium said.

Sabalenka is the favourite to triumph the women’s rubric but had a torrid clip astatine Rod Laver Arena against Russia-born satellite fig 55 Potapova, who represented her adopted federation Austria, with favoritism connected centre court.

Potapova had 4 acceptable points successful the 2nd framework but mislaid them all, portion Sabalenka claimed the triumph connected her archetypal lucifer point.

It extended her unthinkable unbeaten grounds successful tiebreaks to 21, having won 19 successful succession past season.

“I cognize that each shot is important successful the tiebreak. You ​cannot suffer your absorption for a 2nd due to the fact that it’s gone, like, truly quickly,” Sabalenka told reporters.

“So you person to beryllium ‌there 100 percent. That’s my approach. I conscionable instrumentality it 1 constituent astatine a time.”

Aryna Sabalenka plays a forehand against Anastasia Potapova of Austria successful the Women’s Singles Third Round during time six of the 2026 Australian Open astatine Melbourne Park [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]

Three-time men’s finalist Daniil Medvedev was different gathering assurance aft a tense win.

He became the archetypal subordinate to triumph from 2 sets down astatine this tourney against Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, winning 6-7(5) 4-6 7-5 6-0 6-3 successful the aboriginal lucifer astatine Margaret Court Arena.

Medvedev volition person revenge connected his caput erstwhile ‌he plays Learner Tien for a spot successful the quarterfinals, having been knocked retired by the young American successful the 2nd circular past year.

Mboko, 1 of the brightest young talents successful women’s tennis, reached the 4th circular ‌in her Australian Open main gully debut, beating Tauson 7-5 5-7 6-3.

But it was the extremity ⁠of Turkish delight astatine Melbourne Park arsenic wily Kazakh Yulia Putintseva ended Zeynep Sonmez’s tally successful a choky three-setter.

Melbourne’s beardown Turkish assemblage was retired successful unit successful enactment of satellite fig 112 Sonmez, decorating Kia Arena with reddish flags, but Putintseva gleefully taunted them aft completing victory, blowing kisses and dancing adjacent her seat.

“What tin I do? It’s conscionable immoderate radical person acquisition of tennis and, unfortunately, ‌some of them not,” she told reporters, accusing rowdy Sonmez fans of trying to enactment her disconnected her serve.

Tommy Paul, the 19th seed, had a creaseless way into the 4th circular erstwhile Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired injured erstwhile trailing 6-1 6-1 but adjacent faces the ceramic partition of Alcaraz.

Czech 19th effect Karolina Muchova thrashed ‍Poland’s Magda Linette 6-1 6-1 to publication a last-16 matchup with Gauff.

Australia’s large anticipation Alex de Minaur, the sixth seed, meets American Frances Tiafoe successful the prime-time evening slot astatine Rod Laver Arena, portion 3rd effect Alex Zverev faces British information antheral Cameron Norrie successful the nighttime lucifer astatine John Cain Arena.