Carlos Alcaraz’s latest bid for a maiden Australian Open title will continue against Corentin Moutet in the third round on Friday. The blockbuster matchup of the day features Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (32) Corentin Moutet
Alcaraz hasn’t reached his peak at the Australian Open – but he hasn’t had to in his first two rounds. The top-ranked Spaniard beat Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-2 and Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2. Although Alcaraz was a force in both games, it is not a cause for concern; he usually just does things in the first rounds of Grand Slams.
The level of competition rises to at least some degree when Moutet is on the other side of the net in this third round match on Friday. Moutet, who has never faced Alcaraz, won earlier this week with wins over Tristan Schoolkate (straight sets) and Michael Zheng (fifth set retirement). The 37th-ranked Frenchman has played the best tennis of his career since last summer, when he finished second in Mallarco and advanced to the semifinals in Washington, DC. However, Moutet has only made it past the third round of a slam twice in his career – never at the Aussie Open. This is a game that should be very entertaining (especially if Alcaraz builds a healthy lead) – but it’s also not very competitive.
Pick: Alcaraz at 3
(29) Frances Tiafoe vs. (6) Alex de Minaur
De Minaur and Medvedev will meet for the seventh time in their career on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 4-1 in De Minar’s favor (3-1 in main draws) after his recent 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win at the 2025 Toronto Masters. From 2019, they went back to another event – when Tiafoe won the job 6-3, 7-6 (5) on the inner courts of Paris in 2022.
With his countrymen collapsing around him, De Minaur has been the country’s biggest threat to power for years now. The sixth-ranked Australian has played well in the quarterfinals over the past 12 months and has reached at least the fourth round in his last four trips to Melbourne. De Minaur had gone on a six-match unbeaten run before the third round. The 26-year-old made routine work of Mackenzie McDonald and Hamad Medjedovic earlier this week, while Tiafoe also dropped just one set as he dismissed Jason Kubler and Francisco Comesana. The 34th-ranked American is showing signs of his old self, but the in-form De Minaur has owned this match in the past and home court advantage only helps his chances.
Pick: De Minaur at 3
