Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur navigated challenging matches and rain delays to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. The third seed Zverev defeated Alexandre Muller in four sets, while sixth seed de Minaur came back from a first-set loss against Hamad Medjedovic. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz also progressed with a straight-sets win over Yannick Hanfmann.
Alexander Zverev, the third seed aiming for his first major title, faced a tough battle against Alexandre Muller on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Zverev dropped the second set but secured a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory after three hours and three minutes, with the match interrupted by rain mid-third set. The German hit 45 winners and praised his opponent's fitness: “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. 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.” Zverev, who leads Cameron Norrie 6-0 in their head-to-head, will face the Briton next after Norrie's 6-1, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) win over Emilio Nava.
Alex de Minaur, flying the flag for the home crowd, recovered from a 6-7(5) first-set tiebreak loss to Hamad Medjedovic on Rod Laver Arena. The sixth seed, ranked a career-high No. 6, rallied for a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 triumph, energizing the audience with his shotmaking. “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.” He awaits Frances Tiafoe or Francisco Comesana in the third round.
In another key match, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz overcame a competitive first set to beat Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniard, pursuing a career Grand Slam, noted his ongoing adjustment to Melbourne's conditions: “Obviously, I still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better.” He also discussed post-match debriefs with his team to combat negative thoughts during play. Alcaraz will face Corentin Moutet next.
Other notable results included Learner Tien's 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 win over Alexander Shevchenko and Daniil Medvedev's 6-7(9), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Quentin Halys.
