Schedule and Preview Australian Open 2025 Day Six – Friday, 17 January featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic

The third round of the Australian Open kicks off on Day Six with the bottom half of the men’s draw – led by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev – and the top half of the women’s draw, headlined by 2-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. Exciting matches include Coco Gauff facing Leylah Fernandez and Naomi Osaka taking on Belinda Bencic, among others.

Aryna Sabalenka takes on Danish player Clara Tauson (World No. 39), who is in excellent form at the start of the season after claiming the title at the ASB Classic and achieving a seven-match winning streak. The 2-time defending champion is also on a seven-match winning streak this season (16 consecutive wins at Melbourne Park, considering her 2023 and 2024 titles).

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz seeks another dominant performance as he faces Portugal’s Nuno Borges (World No. 33). The Spaniard has been flawless at the start of the tournament, defeating Alexander Shevchenko (World No. 77) 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 in the opening round and crushing Yoshihito Nishioka (World No. 65) 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in the second. This will be his second encounter with Borges, though their first on hard courts, as the Portuguese player surprises in the third round after eliminating 26th seed Jordan Thompson.

Novak Djokovic (World No. 7) faces his first major test against 26th seed Tomas Machac, one of the young players making waves on the Tour. The current Czech No. 1 has seen a meteoric rise over the past year, including victories over Novak Djokovic (World No. 1) in Geneva and Carlos Alcaraz (World No. 2) at the Shanghai Masters, where he reached his first Masters 1000 final. He also won the Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles alongside women’s doubles World No. 1 Katerina Siniakova. Machac was the last player to beat Andy Murray on hard courts, and now, Murray will be on the opposite side as Djokovic’s coach.

Jessica Pegula looks to secure a spot in the second week of the Australian Open for the fourth time in her career as she faces Serbian Olga Danilovic (World No. 55), who has been on fire in Melbourne, notably defeating 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-2.

Silver singles medalist Donna Vekic (World No. 19) faces her first major challenge against 12th seed Diana Shnaider (World No. 13). The Russian sensation dominated Alja Tomljanovic with a 6-4, 7-5 victory, continuing her impressive rise on the Tour and edging closer to her first top-10 breakthrough. Now ranked 11th in the live rankings, she faces a tough test against the Croatian. The recent elimination of World No. 5 Zheng Qinwen eases the potential fourth-round clash for the winner.

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev takes on Brit Jabo Fearnley (World No. 92), who eliminated Nick Kyrgios in the opening round. The 23-year-old Scotsman is making his Grand Slam main draw debut and has reached the third round for the first time in his career. Fearnley, with limited experience at the Tour level, will be a largely unknown opponent for Zverev, who remains the heavy favourite to advance.

One of the standout matches of the day will be World No. 3 Coco Gauff against 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez (World No. 25). The American has been in impressive form with dominant victories over Sofia Kenin and Jodie Burrage, proving why she’s a top contender for the title. This matchup offers Gauff an opportunity to demonstrate her consistency against a high-profile rival like Fernandez, who, at just 22, has already made her mark by upsetting big names in Grand Slams.

15th seed Jack Draper will face home favourite Aleksandar Vukic (World No. 68) following a gruelling five-set win over Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Brit prevailed in one of the second round’s best matches, coming from behind to defeat the local star. Draper has already spent over 8.5 hours on court in the last few days, including his five-set clash against Mariano Navone. Meanwhile, Vukic advanced by ousting Sebastian Korda.

At the 1573 Arena, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva is aiming for a fourth-round appearance for the second consecutive year. After surviving a remarkable battle against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima (World No. 63), securing a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory, the 17-year-old will now face 23rd seed Magdalena Frech, who is seeking her second career fourth-round berth at a major.

The John Cain Arena will host another intriguing duel, a clash of French players between Ugo Humbert (World No. 14) and Arthur Fils (World No. 20) to close out the day. Earlier, two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka will return to the court for her third-round match. The Japanese star has already overcome former WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia (World No. 67) and 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova (World No. 20) on her path. The four-time Grand Slam champion won both matches in hard-fought three-set battles and now faces a compelling test against Belinda Bencic (World No. 294). Bencic, also 27, is making her comeback after maternity leave and aiming to reclaim her spot at the top of the game.