Preview Australian Open Day Eight | World No.1 Alcaraz and Sabalenka lead charge for reputable quarter-final slots

Day eight of the Australian Open marks the halfway spot in the tournament. This time last week, the players were preparing to step out onto the court. 128 players on both ATP and WTA tournaments were hopeful of producing the goods, with only 16 remaining on both sides as they battle it out for the coveted quarter-final slots.

It is another day stacked with high quality players, with action-packed drama and incredible storylines a guarantee on the second Sunday of Australian Open tennis.

The round-of-16 is the start of where things get serious for the best players in the world. A fair few of them have already tasted action against seeds, but the challengers keep ramping up in talent all the way to final day on February 1.

Carlos Alcaraz is about as tough as it gets, with him yet to drop a set yet in this Australian Open. He looks to continue this dominant form on court with Tommy Paul next in line for the six-time Grand Slam champion, as he continues to search for the elusive major crown Down Under.

The two last went head-to-head in the quarter-finals of the French Open last year. Paul was only able to get five games on the board as he failed to make it past the quarter-final stage for the second major event running, following on from last year's Australian. Despite this, it is still very commendable results for the American, who is looking to go repeat the fate after a positive return from injury.

This will be live on Rod Laver Arena, with the Aussie fans able to cheer on their number one Alex de Minaur shortly after. He has shown signs of being at the top of his game, fending off some tricky opponents like Frances Tiafoe in the last round. Next up for the world number six is the inform Alexander Bublik. The Kazakhstani has yet to lose a match in 2026 on the ATP Tour whilst dropping just one set enroute to the Hong Kong Open title. Now a firm member of the world top 10, he is looking to cement his spot even further in it with what could be a very unpopular win.

Two former finalists also take to the stage on the eighth day of action. The world number three and last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev continues to make decent progress throughout the event. The German has won every match 3-1, normally finding his best tennis later on in the match. He will be looking to keep up his good form against Francisco Cerundolo. While Zverev has won the last two contests, the Argentine still has the better head-to-head and has impressed on court so far in Melbourne, picking up a straight sets victory over Andrey Rublev in his last match.

Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev, similar to Bublik, is also yet to lose a match this calendar year. This perfect record came very close to faltering when he managed to overturn a two-set deficit against Fabian Marozsan in a thrilling tie. It is a repeat of his last-64 match last year, as he once again is set to meet Learner Tien. The American won out in 2025, and since then the pair have played out some crackers in China, both getting a win a piece.

It was not Sabalenka's most comfortable third round match she has ever played, defeating Anastasia Potapova with the help of two tiebreakers. A fourth consecutive final is still a way off, with the world number one not guaranteed to cement a spot at that stage, but so far the signs have been good. Her toughest test so far is set to come in the form of Victoria Mboko. The teenage sensation is making a maiden appearance not just at the Australian Open, but in the last-16 of a Grand Slam. It does not get much tougher than Sabalenka, although Mboko will relish the task of coming up against one of the world's best.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff will also step back onto the court. Similar to Sabalenka, her toughest test also came in the third round after managing to get the better of good friend Hailey Baptiste in three sets. The obvious weaknesses in Gauff's game hav not been overly exposed so far compared to periods in last season, with the 21-year-old citing a third consecutive quarter-final in this event. To do this, she must dispose of former Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova. The signs look good for the American, who has won all four encounters without even dropping a set. Muchova needs to put this at the back of her mind when taking on Gauff on Margaret Court Arena.

One of the outside favourites for the title has to be Mirra Andreeva. Already with a title under her belt, the 18-year-old has ploughed her way through the opening three matches of the tournament. When at her best, it gives visions to around this time last year when she won two WTA 1000 titles on the spin. She will soon have to defend those points, but one task at a time for the Russian. For Elina Svitolina, she also comes into the contest with a title, and is very much inform. A tough test for both players, who met last year at the Indian Wells Open, with Andreeva coming out on top in their only ever meeting.

The fourth and final singles match is very much youth versus experience. Iva Jovic has been one of the standout players at this tournament. Her all-round play has been very solid, with Jasmine Paolini going down for her first top 10 win. Now set to feature in a fourth round tie for the very first time, the 18-year-old will have dreams of what have been an unlikely quarter-final. She faces Yulia Putintseva, who despite her prior bad form has done well to get to this stage, via a chorus of boos. The 31-year-old may be the second favourite on the court, but that will just motivate her as she targets a maiden Australian Open quarter-final, and first Grand Slam last-eight appearance since 2020.