It will be an all-French battle when Arthur Fils takes on Ugo Humbert for a spot in the Australian Open round of 16 on Friday. Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic will also be in action against No. 15 seed Jack Draper.
(14) Ugo Humbert vs. (20) Arthur Fils
This one is about as juicy as the third round in a major can get. The seedings held up and No. 14 Ugo Humbert will take on countryman Arthur Fils for the fifth time in 18 months. Besides a shellacking that Fils took in Montreal last summer, the matches have been competitive–with their last clash in the final of Tokyo a legitimate barnburner. It was the first win for Fils in the head-to-head series, which Umbert still leads 3-1 on the main tour.
Humbert’s best year by far was his 2024 season, which he wrapped up with a run to the final at home at the Paris Masters. He got clapped in the title match by Alexander Zverev, but he dispatched world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz en route. Fils had a similarly impressive 2024 with two titles and an appearance at the NextGen ATP Finals. Humbert has gotten through in straight sets in the first two rounds this week, but he played a pair of qualifiers. Fils dropped a set in both of his first matches in Melbourne against Otto Virtanen and Quentin Halys.
While Humbert has the edge in the head-to-head, Fils may well already be turning the tide in this matchup.
Cheryl pick: Fils in 5
Ricky pick: Fils in 5
(15) Jack Draper vs. Aleksandar Vukic
Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic is ranked 68th in the world, but he is playing much better than that right now. With the 28-year-old playing at home and coming off an upset win over No. 22 seed Sebastian Korda in the second round, he is a dangerous opponent–even for the No. 15 seed. Vukic elected to finish his 2024 season on the Challenger circuit, where he made the semis in Taipei after also reaching an ATP semifinal in Almaty.
The top-ranked Brit in men’s tennis, Jack Draper, was absolutely fantastic in the last quarter of the 2024 season. He came somewhat out of nowhere to claw his way into the semifinals of the U.S. Open. And while it’s not usual for one quarter of the draw to open up at the last major of the year, it gave Draper momentum into autumn and he won his second title of the season in Vienna.
Draper has been through the wringer in Melbourne so far. He has been on court over 8.5 hours in two matches and has a pair of somewhat shocking five-set battles against Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis to earn his spot in the third round. With the way Vukic has been playing, this one is an upset alert.
Cheryl pick: Vukic in 4
Ricky pick: Vukic in 5
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