Second round singles action begins on Wednesday in Melbourne.
In the first round, Naomi Osaka earned one of the best wins since her comeback a year ago, over Caroline Garcia. But her draw gets no easier in the second round, as she collides with Major finalist Karolina Muchova. Other top WTA names in action on Wednesday include two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff, and Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will also play their second round matches on Day 4, but the more competitive ATP matches will likely involve other players. Casper Ruud faces teenage standout Jakub Mensik. 2023 semifinalist Tommy Paul takes on a resurgent Kei Nishikori. And British No.1 Jack Draper plays Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Karolina Muchova (20) vs. Naomi Osaka – Second on Kia Arena
It is entirely bizarre, if not downright insulting, for the tournament to schedule this blockbuster WTA matchup on the Australian Open’s fourth biggest court, but here we are. Osaka looked vulnerable at times against Caroline Garcia on Monday evening, yet won a few critical points in the third set to prevail. Following a run to the final of Auckland two weeks ago, her new coaching partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou is off to a promising start. However, the abdominal injury Naomi suffered during that event has not fully healed.
Muchova knows way too much about injuries, as she missed nearly a year of action between 2023 and 2024 due to wrist surgery. But she immediately made an impact upon returning to the court, advancing to the semifinals or better at four of her eight events last season, including the US Open. And Karolina played much less tennis in her opening round, dropping just two games to Nadia Podoroska.
This is a rematch from the same round of the last Major, when Muchova won a tight two-setter in New York. On that day, first serves percentages were key, as Karolina made 80% of hers, but Naomi only made 57% of hers. Muchova’s strong net play was also an important factor, as was drawing Osaka into the net, as Naomi won less than 50% of her points at net. These players had previously split two other meetings, both of which went to three sets.
On Wednesday, Muchova must be favored to win again. She’s been the much strong performer across the past six months, and her all-court variety will likely continue to unsettle Osaka. I’ll be curious to see what adjustments, if any, Naomi makes in this rematch against Karolina.
Kei Nishikori vs. Tommy Paul (12) – Third on 1573 Arena
Two weeks ago in Hong Kong, after years filled with injury layoffs, Nishikori reached his first ATP final since 2019. Then in the first round here, he came from two-sets-down to defeat Thiago Monteiro in five, pushing his career five-set record to an astounding 29-8. Luckily, the 35-year-old received two days of rest before this second round encounter.
Paul was a somewhat surprising semifinalist here two years ago, when he took advantage of a wide open draw to achieve that milestone. Though he is yet to equal that result, he did win 45 matches during 2024, as well as win three titles (Dallas, Queen’s Club, Stockholm). Like Kei, Tommy also survived a five-setter in his opening round, in a draining four-hour match during the hottest part of the day against Australia’s Christopher O’Connell. The American appeared very fatigued during that contest, and unlike Kei, Tommy only had one day of rest.
Their only prior encounter occurred eight years ago in Washington, when a young Paul was still ranked outside the top 200, yet he still pushed Nishikori to three sets. But in 2025, Tommy is the much better and much more in-form player, and should be able to advance, even if at less than 100%.
Casper Ruud (6) vs. Jakub Mensik – 7:00pm on Margaret Court Arena
As is becoming all too normal, Ruud had a tremendous first half of 2024, and an extremely subpar second half. He advanced to the semifinals or better at seven events between February and June, five of which were predictably on clay. Yet he failed to reach another semifinal until the ATP Finals in November. And Casper is a modest 8-5 lifetime on the fast-playing hard courts in Melbourne, so he is not expected to make a deep run here.
Mensik is a 19-year-old from the Czech Republic who recently broke into the world’s top 50. He was the runner-up in the boys’ tournament here three years ago, and claimed 41 matches last season at all levels. Jakub is a tall, aggressive baseliner with a big serve, and he can apply a lot of pressure to Casper’s game on this surface.
Their first career matchup is a tough one to call, but I’m giving the slight edge to Mensik. The youngster feels like he’s on the verge of a breakthrough win, and Ruud feels vulnerable to an upset.
Jack Draper (15) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis – Not Before 7:00pm on John Cain Arena
This is another second round match where both players arrive at less than 100%. Draper required four hours across five sets in his first round, and as we’ve seen before, his body often wilts in the heat. Kokkinakis played a four-hour four-setter, and the Australian has already suffered from hip, shoulder, and leg injuries during the first few weeks of this season. However, it’s worth noting Jack has been dealing with back and hip issues since the fall, and this is his first tournament since October.
They’ve played three times within the past 18 months, with Draper taking two of those three very tight matches. While Kokkinakis should benefit from a rowdy Australian crowd on John Cain Arena, Thanasi has also experienced plenty of heartbreak at this event. He lost a four-and-a-half hour five-setter to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021, then memorably lost a near six-hour five-setter to Andy Murray in 2023. So on Day 4 of the 2025 event, I favor the seemingly slightly-less injured Draper to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Laura Siegemund vs. Qinwen Zheng (5) – Qinwen got off to a seemingly nervous start as she tries to defend her runner-up points from a year ago, yet still managed to advance in straights on Sunday. Siegemund came back from a set down on Sunday to defeat 23-year-old American Hailey Baptiste.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro – Sabalenka comfortably dispatched of Sloane Stephens in the first round. Bouzas Maneiro is a 22-year-old from Spain who reached the third round at each of the last two Majors, notably upsetting defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic (7) vs. Jaime Faria (Q) – Djokovic dropped his opening set on Monday evening to fast-rising young American Nishesh Basavareddy, before prevailing in four. Faria is a 21-year-old from Portugal who won six titles in the minor leagues of tennis last season.
Yoshihito Nishioka vs. Carlos Alcaraz (3) – Alcaraz won his first round in straight sets, and in his only previous meeting with Nishioka, which was three years ago in Bercy, he also won in straights.
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Jodie Burrage – Gauff overcame fellow American and Major champion Sofia Kenin on Monday. Two years ago in Eastbourne on grass, she beat Burrage 6-1, 6-1.
Pedro Martinez vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Zverev defeated Lucas Pouille in the opening round despite arriving in Melbourne with a bicep injury. Last July on clay in Hamburg, he defeated Martinez 6-2, 6-4.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
