By Tony Fairbairn
- Alex De Minaur [6] v Frances Tiafoe [29]
- Clara Tauson [14] v Victoria Mboko [17]
- Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Corentin Moutet [32]
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Alex De Minaur will continue to carry home hopes on his shoulders when he faces Frances Tiafoe for a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
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Alex De Minaur [6] v Frances Tiafoe [29] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [6] v Frances Tiafoe [29] | H2H: De Minaur leads 3-1 |
| Australian Open 2026 | Melbourne, Australia |
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The Australian hopes are on Alex De Minaur once again this year as the sixth seed returns to Melbourne with Grand Slam title aspirations. Last year De Minaur reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne and he will be looking to go further than that this year having ended last year strongly. However, the Australian has a very poor record against some of the world’s biggest names and with the pressure of the home support on his shoulders it will be a tough ask to see De Minaur go all the way this year. However, De Minaur’s belief, resilience and newfound aggression means that the Australian won’t give up on those dreams without a fight.
The first big test of De Minaur’s Grand Slam aspirations is against a former Grand Slam semi-finalist in the form of Frances Tiafoe. The big American has also witnessed the pressure of his home crowd in big moments having been so close to a Grand Slam final at the US Open before. The 29th seed is hoping that he can elevate his form in 2026 after what was a mediocre 2025 season for his standards. There was a lack of consistent aggression and belief in his play and Tiafoe will look to change that this season as he wants to get back to competing at latter stages of tournaments again.
De Minaur will look to attack the Tiafoe second serve while also maintaining a high percentage of first serves. Meanwhile, Tiafoe will look to be aggressive on the forehand while using the angles to take away De Minaur’s attacking options. This will be a high quality affair with conditions suiting both players. Under the lights, De Minaur will rise to the occasion and score a big win to reach the second week.
Prediction: De Minaur in four sets.
Clara Tauson [14] v Victoria Mboko [17] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Clara Tauson [14] v Victoria Mboko [17] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Australian Open 2026 | Melbourne, Australia |
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It was an excellent 2025 season for Clara Tauson who reached her first WTA 1000 final in Dubai and is now a consistent top 20 player. The Dane has a solid yet aggressive game as she looks to be proactive all the time and uses the angles to expose opponents weaknesses. However, Tauson still has a lot to learn and still needs to prove that her game has a lot of potential as the Dane doesn’t have as higher ceiling as some of the other players in her age category. Now, Tauson will aim to prove that’s not the case with a deep Grand Slam run.
Standing in Tauson’s way of the second week is Victoria Mboko as the talented Canadian proved in 2025 that there is a lot of potential in her game. An extraordinary tournament on home soil in Montreal saw her win the title as she fulfilled the potential that many saw in her game on the ITF circuit. Having entered the Australian Open by reaching the Adelaide final, it’s clear that Mboko has a lot of potential to tear through the tour and continue her surge up the rankings. The question is does Mboko have the maturity to make that a reality at this stage in her career?
Tauson will aim to serve aggressively and take advantage of any short balls that come her way. Meanwhile, Mboko will look to be proactive on serve and will use the backhand to pin the Dane behind the baseline. This will be a fierce match between two talented players but Tauson’s maturity and experience gives her the slight edge in a match between the future of the WTA tour.
Prediction: Tauson in three sets.
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Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Corentin Moutet [32] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Corentin Moutet [32] | H2H: First Meeting |
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Carlos Alcaraz is on a mission. The world number one’s career Grand Slam search has passed two of seven tests so far after the Spaniard overcame a gritty performance from Yannick Hanfmann. Alcaraz has the complete game but the only problem for the Spaniard has been making the right decisions at the right time as he has too many options to choose from. Now, the Spaniard will look to continue to do that as he aims to waste little energy on his way to the final.
Next up for Alcaraz is Corentin Moutet as the Frenchman also has way too many options to choose from. Too much slice, too much variety and too much power as Moutet prioritises entertainment over making the right decisions. However, Moutet has produced some good results over the last 12 months which means he is seeded for the Australian Open and now aims to push Alcaraz to his creative limits and secure one of the biggest wins of his career.
Alcaraz will be aggressive on the first serve and use the forehand to rush Moutet’s baseline play. Meanwhile, Moutet will use the slice to disrupt Alcaraz’s rhythm and will use the forehand to test Alcaraz’s defensive skills. The Spaniard should ultimately have too much consistent quality in what will be an entertaining contest.
Prediction: Alcaraz in straight sets.
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