Australian Open R3 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Auger-Aliassime, Alcaraz vs. Shang

Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz have not been at their best at the Australian Open, but they will be back in action on Saturday. Medvedev faces Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round, while Alcaraz meets Jerry Shang.

(27) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (3) Daniil Medvedev

It will be a rematch of one of the most memorable contests from the 2022 Australian Open when Medvedev and Auger-Aliassime meet again at Melbourne Park on Saturday. In the quarterfinals two years ago, Medvedev saved one match point on the way to a 6-7(4), 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5, 6-4 victory. Speaking of comebacks from two sets down, Medvedev accomplished the same feat on Thursday night–or Friday morning–when he outlasted Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-0 at 3:39 am. The fifth-ranked Russian, who is a two-time Aussie Open runner-up, preceded that result by getting past qualifier Terence Atmane via fourth-set retirement.

Simply getting to the third round has to be considered a success for Auger-Aliassime, who is toiling away down at 30th in the rankings. Of course, it could be even worse for the 23-year-old; he would not have come close to being seeded if Melbourne if he had not salvaged his 2023 campaign with a second consecutive title on the indoor hard courts of Basel. Auger-Aliassime earned his place in the last 32 by defeating Dominic Thiem in five sets and qualifier Hugo Grenier in four. Unfortunately for the Canadian, he is 0-6 lifetime in this head-to-head matchup and Medvedev is not the opponent you want to face when you are struggling to put balls in the court.

Pick: Medvedev in 3

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(WC) Jerry Shang vs. (2) Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz and Shang will be squaring off for the first time in their careers on Saturday, and it promises to be the first of many. Obviously Shang is much less accomplished than Alcaraz at 18 years old, but the left-hander from China projects to be a future star. Shang has already won nine tour-level matches, including two at Melbourne Park at the expense of Mackenzie McDonald (five sets) and Sumit Nagal (four).

The world No. 140 may not be running into peak Alcaraz. Following a first-round win over Richard Gasquet, Alcaraz needed a fourth-set tiebreaker to hold off Lorenzo Sonego on Thursday. Alcaraz has not been at his best since losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Cincinnati final and he has never been past this stage of the Australian Open. Nonetheless, Alcaraz should be able to raise his level as the tournament progresses and the competition level increases. With a talented contemporary on the other side of the net, the second-ranked Spaniard will likely pick up the pace. If he doesn’t, Shang could really make this a fun one.

Pick: Alcaraz in 3

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