Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff took a rocky path to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday, but Carlos Alcaraz’s road was paved with gold in his 100th Grand Slam match.
A day after Stan Wawrinka, 40, led a parade of yesterday’s heroes in the third round, the TikTok generation had their moment in the Melbourne Park sun.
18-year-old American Iva Jovic dispatched seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2 7-6(3) while 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko beat 14th seed Clara Tauson to book a blockbuster last-16 tie against two-time champion Sabalenka, a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) winner over Anastasia Potapova.
Alcaraz produced a 6-2 6-4 6-1 demolition of French drop-shot dealer Corentin Moutet before Gauff, 21, recovered from losing her first set of the tournament to defeat fellow American Hailey Baptiste 3-6 6-0 6-3.
In search of a first title at Melbourne Park, Alcaraz, 22, is trying to become the youngest man to win all four majors and has proved unstoppable in the first week.
In the second game at Rod Laver Arena, he won what might be the rally of the tournament against the flamboyant Moutet, chasing a lob with a tweener then sending a passing shot down the line.
Moutet, 32nd seed, was no slouch but was reduced to the role of scapegoat in Alcaraz’s magic show, becoming the 14th victim of the Spaniard’s invincibility against southpaws.
Despite the ease of victory, tracking down Moutet’s shots became a chore, Alcaraz joked.
“I thought we were in a drop-shot competition, but he definitely won,” he said.
Tyrant of the tie-break
Sabalenka is the favorite to win the women’s title but had a torrid time at Rod Laver Arena against Russian-born world number 55 Potapova, who was representing her adopted country Austria with distinction on Center Court.
Potapova had four set points in the second quarter but lost them all, while Sabalenka claimed victory on her first match point.
This took his incredible unbeaten record in tiebreaks to 21, after winning 19 in a row last season.
“I know that every ball is important in the tie-break. You can’t lose your concentration for a second because it’s gone very quickly,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“So you have to be there 100 percent. That’s my approach. I just take it one point at a time.”
Daniil Medvedev, three-time men’s finalist, also regained confidence after a tense victory.
He became the first player to win in straight sets at this tournament against Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, winning 6-7 (5) 4-6 7-5 6-0 6-3 in the first match at the Margaret Court Arena.
Medvedev will have revenge on his mind when he faces Learner Tien for a place in the quarter-finals after being knocked out by the young American in the second round last year.
No more Turkish delights
Mboko, one of the brightest young talents in women’s tennis, reached the fourth round in her Australian Open main draw debut, beating Tauson 7-5 5-7 6-3.
But that was the end of the Turkish delights at Melbourne Park when wily Kazakh Yulia Putintseva ended Zeynep Sonmez’s run in a tight trio.
Melbourne’s strong Turkish community was out in force to support world number 112 Sonmez, decorating the Kia Arena with red flags, but Putintseva happily taunted them after claiming victory, blowing kisses and dancing near his seat.
“What can I do? It’s just that some people have a tennis education and, unfortunately, some people don’t,” she told reporters, accusing Sonmez’s rowdy fans of trying to dissuade her from her serve.
19th seed Tommy Paul had a trouble-free run until the fourth round when Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired injured while trailing 6-1 6-1, but then found himself facing the brick wall of Alcaraz.
19th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic beat Poland’s Magda Linette 6-1 6-1 to book a round of 16 clash with Gauff.
Australian great hope Alex de Minaur, seeded sixth, will meet American Frances Tiafoe in the prime-time night at Rod Laver Arena, while third seed Alex Zverev will take on Britain’s dangerous Cameron Norrie in the night match at John Cain Arena.
