Australian Open, Day 6 Highlights: Andreeva, Alcaraz and Zverev into Round 4

Frances Tiafoe puts in a better fight in the second set, but will not be able to figure out de Minaur. The Australian wins 6-4.

Alex de Minaur takes the first set against Frances Tiafoe. The Australian is error free in the final game as he takes the first set 6-3 against the American.

De Minaur is looking steady in the second set as well and has raced to a lead of 3-1.

Rod Laver Arena is set for a long one, and Frances Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur are making sure of it.

This much-anticipated clash exploded into life right from the first ball, with both players trading blows and refusing to give an inch.

The opening set is already crackling with intensity, a clear sign that this showdown is shaping up to be a marathon rather than a sprint.

That's probably the first big upset of Australian Open 2026. Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, two time Grand Slam runner-up, has been knocked out in the third round. 

She has been booted out by Iva Jovic, an 18-year-old from the United States, rolling into her maiden Australian Open fourth round. 

Jovic is pumped. She has won the match 6-2, 7-6 (3) with some sensational groundstrokes. 

It has turned into a day of comebacks, and Coco Gauff has firmly added her name to the list alongside Daniil Medvedev.

After dropping the opening set 3–6 to Hailey Baptiste, it looked tricky for the world No. 3 for a moment. Then, almost on cue, a switch seemed to flip. Gauff found renewed panache, sharper timing, and that familiar intensity which is always bad news for opponents, nationality aside.

What followed was emphatic. A ruthless 6–0 bagel in the second set swung momentum completely, before Gauff calmly closed the door with a 6–3 win in the decider. From wobble to cruise control, the American storms into Round 4 at Margaret Court Arena.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff was never going to bow out quietly, and she has delivered a trademark response.

After dropping the opening set 3–6 to fellow American Hailey Baptiste, Gauff roared back with a ruthless 6–0 bagel in the second.

Momentum has shifted sharply at Margaret Court Arena, turning this into a compelling contest.
 

It hasn’t been the start Coco Gauff would have wanted at Margaret Court Arena.

World No. 3 Gauff has dropped the opening set 6–3 to fellow American Hailey Baptiste, who has taken early control of the contest.

Gauff now has plenty to figure out as she looks to reset quickly and mount a comeback.

A terrific win for Carlos Alcaraz. Despite a powerful show from World No. 37 Corentin Moutet, Alcaraz was simply not catchable. 

The World No. 1 wins his third-round match 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and five minutes. 

An excellent, entertaining match against Moutet in their first meeting. 

"It wasn't easy to be honest," Alcaraz said. 

The Spaniard will take on American Tommy Paul in the fourth round. 

This is sensational tennis from Carlos Alcaraz. He was stretched in the second set when World No. 37 Corentin Moutet took four games.

But, the third set is all Alcaraz. He has entertained the crowd with some delightful shot-making. 

He is leading 5-1 and is looking good to get this third-round match done in straight sets. 

At the start of the match, many expected this to be one-sided. Despite the scoreline, Moutet has ensured this match has been entertaining with some good groundstrokes himself. 

Daniil Medvedev doing what Daniil Medvedev does best.

Over a gruelling three-and-a-half-hour marathon, he absorbed the blows, convinced everyone he was finished, and then flipped the script when the upset felt inevitable. This time, Fabian Marozsan got a front-row seat to the full Medvedev comeback routine.

Two sets down after losing 7–6(5), 6–4, the Russian looked rattled. Then the switch flipped. Medvedev edged a tense third set 7–5, blitzed the fourth 6–0, and calmly sealed an epic turnaround with a 6–3 decider.

Marozsan ran out of answers as Medvedev’s serve caught fire and the forehand finally took over. Chaos, control, comeback. Classic Medvedev.

Pacey, aggressive and relentless.

The Carlos Alcaraz formula continues to deliver. The world No. 1 has swept past Corentin Moutet to take the opening set 6–2 in commanding fashion.

Alcaraz’s lightning footwork and constant intensity have been far too much for the Frenchman to handle, with the gulf in class evident despite Moutet’s efforts to disrupt the rhythm.

If there were any doubts about a Daniil Medvedev comeback, he has just smashed them out of Margaret Court Arena. The Russian has flipped the script in style and the crowd is loving it.

After dropping the first two sets, Medvedev scrapped his way through a gritty 7–5 third against Fabian Marozsan, before completely hitting the afterburners. The fourth set was pure Medvedev unleashed — a brutal 6–0 statement with swagger to spare.

We’re past the two-and-a-half-hour mark now, and once again, Medvedev has dragged us deep into a tense, dramatic, slightly chaotic Grand Slam marathon. Classic.

Just as the focus remained on Daniil Medvedev’s comeback attempt, Rod Laver Arena has erupted for the marquee clash of the day. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has taken centre stage, getting his Round 3 battle against France’s Corentin Moutet underway.

The Spaniard has begun in trademark fashion, bursting with intensity and energy, racing to three games in the opening set as he looks to impose himself early.    

Everything is going wrong for Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open, with Margaret Court Arena witnessing yet another difficult chapter for the Russian.

Medvedev is staring at a potential Round 3 exit after losing the opening two sets to 26-year-old Dutchman Fabian Marozsan, going down 7–6(5) in the first before conceding the second 6–4.

What a fight! What a match! 

It was not meant to be for Anastasia Potapova as the World No. 1 wins the third-round match 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) in two hours and two minutes. 

Sabalenka was made to work hard for her win. Potapova, after stretching the numero uno to the tie-breaker in the first set, was down 0-4 in the second set. But, the Austrian, ranked 55, produced one of the finest comebacks in Melbourne to push Sabalenka into another tie-breaker. 

At 6-3, Potapova had three game points, but she was not able to close it out. Potapova hit a double fault as well.

"I was emotionally all over the place. She played really well," says Sabalenka. 

A loud cheer for Potapova as she makes her way out of the Rod Laver Arena. After beating Emma Raducanu, the Austrian nearly pulled off the upset of the tournaent. 

But, Sabalenka rolls on, into the fourth round for the sixth successive year at Australian Open. 

Sabalenka was serving for the set and the match at 5-4 in the second set. She had the upper-hand after breaking Anastasia Potapova.

But, the Austrian, as she has been in this match, holds her ground and breaks Sabalenka. 

It's 5-5 now in the second set. 

The frustration on the World No. 1's face is evident now. 

From 0-3 down, Anastasia Potapova makes it 4-4 in the second set.

She breaks the World No. 1 twice in succession in the second set. 

At the start of the set, it looked like Potapova's energy was spent after giving it her all in the opening set. But, she is not going away.

Aryna Sabalenka is actually a bit surprised by Potapova's fight. 

A solid match to start Friday's proceedings at Rod Laver Arena. 

Can Potapova take this to the deciding set? 

Sabalenka is now racing through this.

Suddenly, Anastasia Potapova's serve is not working. She is down 0-3 in the secoind set after going down two breaks. 

It's all but over for the Austrian, who put on a brave show in the first set. She has completely lost it in the last 5 minutes. 

What a champion! Aryna Sabalenka shows the importance of starting well. After a tough tie-breaker in the first set, she breaks Anastasia Potapova's serve in the first game of the second set. 

She is now hitting them as well as she has ever hit. 

That's the difference between a champion and someone who is trying to get through the ranks. Pressure on Potapova. All her good work in the first set will go down the drain if she doesn't pick herself up quickly. 

Not looking good for Daniil Medvedev at Margaret Court Arena. The 11th seed goes down 6-7 (5) in the opening set agianst World No. 47 Fabian Marozsan. 

Can the Russian star keep his composure and bounce back?

The crowd is rooting for Marozsan, who has put on a great show so far. 

Aryna Sabalenka has won the opening set in the tie-breaker. A terrific set that from the two in the middle.

Sabalenka and Anastasia Potapova went toe-to-toe. 

Potapova, who tried to be in the game, goes down 4-7 in the tie-breaker. 

At 4-3, Sabalenka won a 15-point rally despite having been dragged to both ends of the court. And that was the turning point, the point that gave Sabalenka the confidence. 

Now, it's a tough road back for Potapova. Sabalenka will look to wrap this up in straight sets. 

That was some fight from Potapova, who defeated Emma Raducanu in the previous match.

She was down 0-40, serving to stay in the opening set. But, Potapova saved three game points to force this first set into the tie-breaker.

For the first time in eight matches on the tour, Sabalenka has been forced into the tie-breaker. 

The pressure is now on the World No.1. Can she make a solid start in the tie-breaker. 

11th seed Daniil Medvedev is being made to work hard. He is locked in a battle with World No. 47 Fabian Marozsan at Margaret Court Arena. 

Medvedev is leading 6-5 without having been able to break Marozsan serve in the first set. 

Medvedev has been on a resurgent run after having made it past the first round only once in a Grand Slam last year.

He is being made to work hard in this third-round match. 

This is turning out to be an intruding battle at Rod Laver Arena. 

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is leading Anastasia Potapova of Austrla 5-4 in the first set. But, Potapova is yet to drop her serve.

In fact, Potapova has served well up until this point, maintaining a first serve win percentage of 68, which is better than Sabalenka. 

Can Sabalenka take the first set? 

This appears to be heading to a tie-breaker. 

Rod Laver Arena
Day session – From 6:00 AM IST

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Anastasia Potapova

Day session – Not before 8:00 AM IST

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Corentin Moutet (32)

Night session – From 1:30 PM IST

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Frances Tiafoe (29) vs Alex de Minaur (6)

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Elena Ruse vs Mirra Andreeva (8)

• 🔹 Margaret Court Arena

Day session – From 6:00 AM IST

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Daniil Medvedev (11) vs Fabian Marozsan

Day session – Not before 8:30 AM IST

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Coco Gauff (3) vs Han Na-lae Baptiste

Night session – From 1:30 PM IST

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Elina Svitolina (12) vs Diana Shnaider (23)

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Alexander Bublik (10) vs Tomás Etcheverry

🔹 John Cain Arena
Day session – From 5:30 AM IST

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Valeriya Mboko (17) vs Clara Tauson (14)

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Tommy Paul (19) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (14)

Night session – From 11:30 AM IST

• Women’s Singles Round 3: Ivana Jovic (29) vs Jasmine Paolini (7)

Night session – Not before 1:00 PM IST

• Men’s Singles Round 3: Alexander Zverev (3) vs Cameron Norrie (26)