Austalian Open R3 previews and predictions: Khachanov vs. Michelsen, Musetti vs. Shelton

Young American Alex Michelsen will battle Russia’s Karen Khachanov for a spot in the Australian Open round of 16. Fellow American Ben Shelton will also be in action on Saturday against tricky Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

(19) Karen Khachanov vs. Alex Michelsen

Alex Michelsen, a 20-year-old upstart from the United States, is playing better than his No. 42 ranking would suggest. He has enjoyed a good start to the season, with the biggest win of his career coming in the first round this week over world No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Michelsen is poised to make a big ATP breakthrough in 2025.

Karen Khachanov has historically played well in Melbourne, but he faltered a bit last year and he hasn’t been particularly impressive so far in 2025, either. The Russian failed to win a match in his Australian Open tuneup event in Hong Kong before beating Adrian Mannarino and Gabriel Diallo to earn his spot in the third round at Melbourne Park. This is another potential early-round upset in the making, although it won’t be as shocking as Daniil Medvedev’s second-round exit to American teenager Learner Tien. Look for a lengthy battle, with Michelsen edging out the favorite.

Cheryl pick: Michelsen in 4

Ricky pick: Michelsen in 4

(16) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (21) Ben Shelton

Both Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti have worked hard at the Australian Open this week. Shelton was pushed by fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the first round and he dropped a set to Pablo Carreno Busta in the second. The former University of Florida star posted impressive serving stats in terms of aces and points won against Carreno Busta, but he served at 61 percent; he will need to do better than that against Musetti.

Musetti has beaten Shelton in both of their previous encounters, but as usual for the American, the matches were close. Because the No. 21 seed has one of the toughest serves in all of tennis, outcomes are often decided by tiebreakers. Musetti only won one match in his tuneup event in Hong Kong; the Italian hasn’t necessarily been at his best yet in 2025. This is a good opportunity for Shelton to notch his first win over the Moose.

Cheryl pick: Shelton in 5

Ricky pick: Musetti in 5