In 2022, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina combined to claim three out of four Majors. But only one of them will advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, as these Slam champs collide in the fourth round.
Sunday’s other three WTA round of 16 matchups also include Major singles champions. A resurgent 2021 Roland Garros Champ Barbora Krejcikova takes on a red-hot Jessica Pegula. 2017 Roland Garros Champ Jelena Ostapenko faces 2022 Roland Garros Runner-up Coco Gauff. And Two-Time Australian Open Champ Victoria Azarenka plays Lin Zhu, who has never before advanced this far at a Slam.
Men’s fourth round action on Sunday also includes a few blockbuster matchups, most notably Stefanos Tsitsipas battling Jannik Sinner. And after upsetting two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in the last round, how will Sebastian Korda fare against Hubert Hurkacz, who outlasted Denis Shapovalov in a five-setter?
Each day this preview will highlight the four most intriguing matchups, while outlining the other notable matches on the schedule. Sunday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Elena Rybakina (22) – Not Before 12:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Swiatek has seemingly settled nicely into this tournament as it’s progressed, losing only one game in her third round matchup. But she’s yet to face a player ranked higher than 69th in the world, and if Rybakina had received points for her Wimbledon title, she’d be well inside the top 10. Elena overcame Danielle Collins in the last round, who was a finalist here a year ago.
Overall Rybakina went 40-21 last season, with Wimbledon her only title. Swiatek was a dominant 67-9 with eight titles, two of them being Majors (Roland Garros, US Open).
Their only prior meeting occurred two years ago in Ostrava, which Iga took in straight sets. But based on the way Elena has looked this week, I would not be surprised if she upset the World No.1. When her power game is clicking, as it currently is, Rybakina can dictate play against almost anyone on tour. And the fast-playing in hard courts in Melbourne favor her game over Swiatek’s.
Hubert Hurkacz (10) vs. Sebastian Korda (29) – Third on Rod Laver Arena
Korda’s victory over Medvedev in the last round was the biggest win of his career to date. Since October, the 22-year-old American is now 15-4. This is his third time in the round of 16 at a Major, but reaching a quarterfinal would be breaking new ground.
Hurkacz underperformed at Slams in 2022, going just 4-4. And he’s now coming off back-to-back five-setters against Lorenzo Sonego and Denis Shapovalov, though both of those lasted under four hours, so they weren’t too taxing as far as five-setters go.
Two years ago in Delray Beach, Hubi defeated Sebi 6-3, 6-3. But two years later in Melbourne, at a tournament his father won 25 years ago, I like Korda’s chances to prevail. His level in all three sets against Medvedev was impressive, and Hurkacz is yet to play his best tennis this fortnight.
Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Barbora Krejcikova (20) – Not Before 5:00pm on John Cain Arena
Pegula has become the WTA’s most consistent performer not named Swiatek. She is vying to reach her fourth quarterfinal out of the last five Majors, and her third consecutive quarterfinal in Melbourne. Jess was 42-21 last season, and is now 7-1 to start this season, having not lost a set this week.
After a stellar 2021, during which Krejcikova achieved her first Major singles title and went 45-19, an elbow injury derailed her 2022 season. However, she ended the year by winning back-to-back hard court titles in Tallinn and Ostrava. Like Pegula, she’s not dropped a set to this stage.
Their first career meeting is a tough one to call. Both players are current playing with supreme confidence, and seem primed for a deep run this fortnight, had they not drawn each other in the fourth round. I give the slight edge to Pegula on these fast hard courts, especially considering her recent success at Slams.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) vs. Jannik Sinner (15) – 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Tsitsipas has advanced rather comfortably, taking all nine sets he’s contested. And with Nadal and Medvedev eliminated from this half of the draw, it’s a huge opportunity for Stefanos to reach his second Major final. He’s reached the semifinals of this event in three of the last four years, but is yet to advance farther.
Sinner recovered well after dropping the first two sets on Friday to Marton Fucsovics. This is the sixth consecutive Major where the Italian has reached the second week, and he’s vying for his fourth quarterfinal out of the last five.
Tsitsipas is 4-1 against Sinner, with four of those matches taking place on clay. Their only hard court meeting was in the quarterfinals of this same tournament a year ago, when Stefanos easily prevailed in straight sets. A year later, I fully expect Jannik to make this a much closer contest, but I still favor Tsitsipas to advance after a prolonged encounter.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Jelena Ostapenko (17) vs. Coco Gauff (7) – Gauff is an undefeated 8-0 in 2023, and is yet to lose a set this year. This is the farthest Ostapenko has ever advanced at a hard court Major. Four years ago in the final of Linz, Gauff defeated Ostapenko to win her first WTA title.
Yoshihito Nishioka (31) vs. Karen Khachanov (18) – Nishioka has not dropped a set to this stage. Khachanov eliminated Francies Tiafoe in the last round. Karen leads their head-to-head 2-1, though their most recent encounter went to Yoshi, last August in Washington.
Jiri Lehecka vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) – 21-year-old Lehecka had never previously won a match at a Major prior to this past week. Auger-Aliassime has dropped at least one set in all of his first three matches. This is their first career meeting.
Victoria Azarenka (24) vs. Lin Zhu – Azarenka came back from a set down to oust Madison Keys on Friday evening. Lin has already upset two seeds in Jil Teichmann and Maria Sakkari. This is another first-time meeting.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
