In-form Czechs Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday at the Australian Open. They will face Stefanos Tsitsipas and Raphael Jodar, respectively, in the second round.
Tomas Machac vs. (31) Stefanos Tsitsipas
This is a rare case of an unseeded player being ranked higher – by a lot, in fact – than a seeded player. And it’s worth it, too. When healthy, Machac has played incredible tennis over the past 12 months. On the other hand, Tsitsipas’ career has been in dramatic decline. Will their paths continue to cross when they meet in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday, or can Tsitsipas start to get back on track?
Their last previous meeting took place on the indoor courts of Vienna in 2023, when Tsitsipas won 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. However, the story looks very different two years later. Machac captured the ATP 500 title in Acapulco last season and already has one trophy under his belt in 2026 after winning in Adelaide on Saturday. The 24th-ranked Czech extended his winning streak to six matches by ousting Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday. Tsitsipas beat Shintaro Mochizuki and played well in the United Cup, but lost again to Aleksandar Vukic right from Adelaide. Inconsistency continues to be a major problem for the 35th-ranked Greeks. If Machac’s current schedule will come up again on Thursday, he will take time away from Tsitsipas and should enter the third round.
Pick: Machac in 3
(16) Jakub Mensik vs. (Q) Raphael Jodar
It will be an interesting showdown between rising stars when Mensik and Jodar meet for the first time in their careers on Thursday. At just 20 years old, Mensik is already the champion of the Masters 1000 (Miami 2025) and has risen to 17th place in the rankings. The rest of the Czech’s 2025 campaign has been underwhelming, but he already has a title this season (Auckland) and managed to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta in five sets on Tuesday.
Jodar also needed five in the first round, fending off NextGen star Rei Sakamoto 7-6(6), 6-1, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3. The 19-year-old Spaniard is on fire these days. He is 23-3 in his last 26 matches (including challenges), highlighted by an upset of Learner Tien at the NextGen ATP Finals and a successful run at Melbourne Park. However, this is a big step in Jodar’s class; his matchup with Tien was the only time in his career that he faced a top man 100. This could be a 50/50 matchup in a year or so, but right now it’s Mensik who has the edge – especially on this kind of stage.
Choose: Mensik in 4
