Schedule and Preview Australian Open 2025 Day Eight – Saturday, 18 January featuring Novak Djokovic, Sabalenka – Andreeva and Alcaraz – Draper

The schedule for Day Eight of the Australian Open has been revealed, featuring a star-studded lineup as the fourth round of the tournament begins. For many, reaching the second week marks the start of the most demanding phase of the competition, almost like a new tournament where only the best remain, all coming in with high-level match rhythm. Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka will be some of the main stars on the courts as they fight for a place in the quarterfinals.

Once again, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva will face off, just weeks after their last encounter. The head-to-head record stands at 3-1 in favor of the world No. 1, with only one match played on hard courts, two weeks ago in the Brisbane International semifinals (6-3, 6-2 for Sabalenka). This marks the first seeded opponent for the two-time defending champion, who has already faced some struggles against Tauson and will now take on perhaps the biggest rising star of the moment.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff will face the surprising Belinda Bencic, who seems to need little time to adapt to being back in the spotlight. The Swiss player took a one-year break from her career due to maternity and, since her return a couple of months ago, has left a strong impression. In her first major draw since returning, she has already reached the fourth round—benefiting from Naomi Osaka’s third-round retirement—and is now ranked No. 156 in the live rankings, after sitting outside the top 1000 just two months ago. It’s a tough challenge for Gauff, who will face an undeniably talented rival with nothing to lose.

In the night session, a highly anticipated clash will feature Jack Draper (No. 15) and Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3), meeting for the fourth time with the Spaniard leading 2-1. The British No. 1 has endured three consecutive five-set battles, winning each after being two sets to one down. On the other hand, Alcaraz has spent significantly less time on the court, which could be a crucial factor against a player who has often struggled in long matches.

Ten-time champion Novak Djokovic has quietly advanced through the rounds in another Australian Open. The Serbian faced some difficulties in his early matches against young, unknown players Nishes Basavareddy and Jaime Faria but dominated the 26th seed Tomas Machac in the third round. This time, he will take on an inspired Jiri Lehecka, who is on an eight-match winning streak.