Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will return to the court when the third round of the Australian Open begins on Friday. Medvedev meets Fabian Marozsan, while Rublev faces Francisco Cerundolo.
(11) Daniil Medvedev vs. Fabian Marozsan
Medvedev looks more like the three-time Australian Open runner-up than the version of himself that was shown in the first eight months of 2025. The 29-year-old has already doubled his tally of Grand Slam match wins from last season (one), having beaten Jesper de Jong and Quentin Halys earlier this week. Medvedev is now 21-4 in his last 25 matches, a stretch that includes titles in Almaty and Brisbane.
Next up for the world number 12 on Friday is a third-round match against Marozsan, who has lost both of his previous matches. Medvedev won 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5) at the 2024 US Open and 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals in Almaty this past season. Marozsan got another shot at the Russian by knocking out Arthur Rinderknech and Kamil Majchrzak. The 47th-ranked Hungarian is playing well (5-2 record this season), but Medvedev owns this matchup and the former world No. 1 is playing much better than he was when he beat Marozsan earlier.
Pick: Medvedev at 3
(18) Francisco Cerundolo vs. (13) Andrey Rublev
Rublev and Cerundolo will be fighting each other for the fifth time in their career on Friday. Cerundolo leads the head-to-head series 3-1, but they have only met once on the hard court – when the Argentine got the job 7-6(6), 7-6(5) at the indoor event in Paris in 2024.
In their first Grand Slam match, Rublev should have the edge. The 15th-ranked Russian has reached 10 major quarterfinals, including three at the Aussie Open; Cerundolo has never made it past the fourth round of a slam – and has never reached the fourth round outside of Roland Garros. The two guys are similar in that they enjoy consistent success against low-level opponents but rarely give opponents trouble when they’re serious opponents. Well, Cerundolo is the clear underdog in this one. Rublev, who seems to have regained his confidence, must roll.
Select: Rublev in 4
