Second-round action at the Australian Open has at last concluded, as LWOT recaps a grueling day of men’s tennis on Day 5 that ended at 3 a.m. Read on below for some big upsets and strong performances. 

Australian Open Day 5 Men’s Recap

Who Looked Good

Early in the day session, Taylor Fritz cruised to a 6-2 6-1 6-0 win over Cristian Garin, not allowing Garin to get a look at any break point opportunities. The American fired eight aces and won 80% of points off his first serve. Also during the day, Alex De Minaur headlined Rod Laver Arena in a 6-2 6-4 6-3 sweep over young American Tristan Boyer.

The Australian is looking to get past the big hurdle of making it through the fourth round of his home slam, and should have a nice draw to do that if he stays in good form. Neither Fritz nor De Minaur have lost a set yet — and they’re two of only five players in the whole men’s draw that can say that.

World #1 Jannik Sinner and World #13 Holger Rune both looked strong, but dropped sets because of inspired opponents. The two are currently on a collision course for a big fourth-round match-up. Sinner, the defending champion, took out the Aussie wildcard Tristan Schoolkate 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3, while Rune defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3) 2-6 6-3 7-6(6). Both matches were exciting evening session battles that brought a large amount of crowd energy and fun.

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Who Looked Bad

Hubert Hurkacz looked sluggish in a 6-4 6-4 6-2 defeat to Miomir Kecmanović. Kecmanovic scored his 12th career Top 20 win as a result of the upset victory, and he largely dominated play with a strong first serve. The Serb fired 32 winners to just 12 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Hurkacz did not break serve once and committed 38 unforced errors.

It was also a tough day for Frances Tiafoe, facing off against the tricky Fabian Marozsan. Marozsan won in five sets, as Tiafoe faded fast in the last two sets. The American hasn’t reached the fourth round of this tournament since his big 2019 Australian Open quarterfinal run.

In a rowdy atmosphere, Joao Fonseca’s breakthrough Australian Open run ended at the hands of Lorenzo Sonego. This was no poor match from Fonesca, and both he and the Italian played quite well; however, fans largely expected a lot from the Brazilian after his shock win over Andrey Rublev in the first round. Sonego won 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-3, marking Fonseca’s first ever five-set match. He’ll have to work on his stamina in longer matches, but Fonseca should be a big threat in the tournaments to come. 

Barring any huge surprise from lower-ranked players, Fonseca will make his Top 100 debut by getting to this stage. As for Sonego, the win marks a big result for the Italian, as he’ll appear in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2023. He has a nice draw to perhaps sneak his way into the quarterfinals.

Match of the Day

Why does Sonego have a nice draw going forward? Because Daniil Medvedev, in his section, was shocked in the second round of the tournament, courtesy of a thrilling loss to 19-year-old Learner Tien. That match is by far the top clash of Day 5. 

Tien won in a Margaret Court Arena night session battle that ended at 2:55 a.m. That match, ending in the score of 6-3 7-6(4) 6-7(8) 1-6 7-6(7) is around 90 minutes short of the latest Australian Open finish ever. To summarize the match, Tien’s grit and willingness to play aggressive was the key factor. Medvedev played defensive tennis for the majority of the match, hoping the American would make errors. To the defending finalist’s surprise, Tien wouldn’t miss.

Tien took the first two sets with aggressive tennis and had a match point leading in the third set tiebreak. Medvedev saved it with an ace, and started to wear down Tien by taking the third set after the American hit a few unforced errors. After the Russian won the fourth set 6-1, the match seemed all but over to me.

In the fifth set, it was Tien who stepped up his game. He hit strategic wide serves to open up the court, and his backhand slice harmed Medvedev’s loopy topspin. After a dramatic rain delay, Medvedev broke serve to lead 6-5 in the fifth set. Tien broke back, and the American controlled the fifth-set match tiebreaker with big forehands and perseverance in the rallies. Trailing 6-4 in the tiebreak, the American won six of the last seven points to win the match.

It’s now anyone’s quarterfinal spot for the taking in Medvedev’s group. Either Tien, who is probably exhausted after a 4h48 match, Corentin Moutet, Sonego, or Marozsan will make it to the quarterfinals — neither player has made it to that stage in their careers yet. 

Who will continue to fight on to the next round? LWOT has all of the third-round predictions, with exciting matches on the cards on Friday including a Novak Djokovic clash against Tomas Machac.

Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports