Jack Draper to meet Carlos Alcaraz in Australian Open fourth round after beating Aleksandar Vukic in another five-set thriller | Tennis news

Jack Draper will play Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after the British No 1 fought back from 2-1 down for the third straight match to beat home favorite Aleksandar Vukic in an epic five-setter.

In a thrilling encounter that lasted barely four hours, Draper claimed victory 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) shortly before 1am Melbourne time to reach the fourth round of the tournament for the first time.

Draper started the match brilliantly, winning four games on the jump and taking the first set, fighting back immediately after the break.

But unseeded Australian Vukic was far from floundering in front of a fervent home support, the 28-year-old – in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time – himself reeling off five straight games to take the second set and quickly level the match.

An increasingly shaken Draper broke his racket shortly after a double fault gave his opponent a crucial break in the 11th game of a tight third, while Vukić, in contrast, kept his cool and finished with an ace.

Then in the fourth set, upside down, Draper missed three break points on Vukić’s serve, before having to save five himself in the next two service games.

Neither player could capitalize and Draper also missed two set points as Vukic forced a tie-break, before the Briton finally capitalized during a tight and tense break.

The deciding set also went the distance, despite an early break for Draper and four chances for a second. Vukić gathered himself again and broke the Briton’s serve to restore parity.

It was the same in the tied match in the last set, with an early break by Draper and the quick disappearance of the 3-0 advantage. But in the end, the 15th seed forced an opening and won a memorable contest thanks to a strong serve in his second match point.

Draper is at the end of the deepest Grand Slam streak of his career, having reached the final four of last year’s US Open. In the round of 16, he faces third seed and four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

“I thought it was over and then he just came back from the dead,” Draper said after the win over Vikic. “It was just a big battle, two competitors going at it and that’s what sport is all about.

“My body doesn’t feel great, but luckily I have good physiotherapy. Mentally, I competed hard and I liked the atmosphere… it gave me a lot of energy to keep pushing and surprising myself.”

Draper trails Alcaraz 2-1 in the pair’s head-to-head record but won their last match at Queen’s Club last year, taking him 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

“Carlos is a special talent, an amazing player and someone I’m good friends with,” Draper said of his next opponent. “It’s going to be an amazing match; I hope my body picks up, I can do my best and it’s going to be a great competition.”

Briton Fearnley lost to second seed Zverev

Another British hopeful Jacob Fearnley’s good Australian Open debut ended with a straight set loss to second seed Alexander Zverev in the third round.

The 23-year-old Scot continues to comfortably take the higher levels of the professional game in his stride and did not look out of place against one of the tournament favorites at the Margaret Court Arena.

But he was unable to sustain any sustained pressure on Zverev, who wrapped up a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory in two hours and two minutes.

Fearnley hit slightly more winners, his forehand causing constant problems for Zverev, but there were also 34 unforced errors compared to just 15 for the German.

Regardless, it was a great week for Fearnley, who defeated Nick Kyrgios and the Australian crowd in the first round before going down to Arthur Cazaux in the second round.

“I thought I played some good tennis, some good moments, some bad moments,” Fearnley said. “I don’t think there was too much in it. Just a few points here and there.

“I think that’s what those top guys do so well. They stay composed and their base level just stays the same throughout the match. Mine was pretty up and down, which I think is what cost me the match.

Less than eight months into his professional tennis career, Fearnley will break into the world’s top 80 after the tournament and will surely go higher without ranking points until June.

The 23-year-old performed very well against Novak Djokovic on his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon last year, taking a set from the Serb and almost forcing a decider.

“It’s a big confidence boost, knowing I can compete against some of the best players in the world, it’s really cool to see,” Fearnley added.

“He [Zverev] is number 2 in the world, he is probably playing some of the best tennis on the planet right now. So to have that experience, I learned a lot about my game, about what I need to do better.”

After the win, Zverev also praised his opponent, saying: “I think he’s an amazing player, he’s been through all the stages. I have a lot of respect for him and the effort he’s put into the sport, and he’s going I think he’s going to get better in the next few year.”

Đoković passes Machac and enters the fourth round

Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round with his most confident performance of the tournament so far, a 6-1 6-4 6-4 victory over 26th seed Tomas Machac.

The record 24-time Grand Slam champion – a 10-time winner in Melbourne – was broken just once and converted five of his 15 chances on Machac’s serve.

It was Djokovic’s first win in straight sets at this year’s Australian Open, after 19-year-old Ninesh Basavareddy pushed him to four in the first round, and 21-year-old Jaime Faria in the second – both making their tournament debuts. .

One small concern for Djokovic’s camp, which Andy Murray is now part of as his coach, emerged after the first game of the second set at Rod Laver Arena, when the 37-year-old looked uncomfortable and grabbed the right side of his chest.

Then, on the ensuing change of sides, he took the unusual step of sitting on his bench instead of just walking around the net to the opposite baseline.

In the very next game, Đoković missed a drop shot for 15-40, and then leaned forward and put his hands on his knees. Machac then took the first break chance to take a 2-0 lead in that set when Djokovic missed a hard volley.

But Djokovic made a quick return, called the doctor and then rattled off the next three games en route to a comfortable victory.

“I was trying to catch my breath,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview, laughing at the incident. “I’m not 19 anymore.”

The Serbian will meet another Czech in the 24th seed, Jiri Lehecko, in the round of 16.

Alcaraz advances ahead of Borges in the last 16

Alcaraz lost his first set of the tournament, but the third seed still managed to get through to the third round after downing Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-2 6-4 6-7 (7-3) 6-2 in just under three hours.

“I missed Rod Laver [Arena]. I’m just very, very happy to play here again,” Alcaraz said after the game.

“I tried to show my best tennis here. It was a pleasure for me every time I stepped on this court. The last time I played here I lost [to Alexander Zverev in the 2024 quarter-finals]so I really wanted to play here and get another win here at Rod Laver.”

A break in the opening game set the tone against world No. 33 Borges, with Alcaraz dominating on serve from the start, dropping just six points on serve in each of the first two sets.

Alcaraz aims to complete his career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, having already won Wimbledon twice (2023, 2024), as well as the US Open in 2022 and the French Open last year.

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