One of the marquee matchups of the Australian Open second round will take place on Wednesday, when Casper Ruud faces Jakub Mensik. Felix Auger-Aliassime continues his campaign against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
(6) Casper Ruud vs. Jakub Mensik
Ruud and Mensik will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round two of the Australian Open on Wednesday. Although Ruud is ranked considerably higher than his opponent, this promises to be one of the best matches of the tournament up to this point. After all, Mesik is one of the tour’s rising stars. The 19-year-old Czech climbed to No. 48 in the world with 25 main-tour match wins in 2024 and he is off to a strong start this season. Mensik reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Brisbane and Hong Kong before taking care of Nikoloz Basilashvili in four sets on Monday.
It has also been a stellar month of January so far for Ruud. The sixth-ranked Norwegian is 3-0 with United Cup victories over Hubert Hurkacz and Tomas Machac to go along with a five-set survival against Jaume Munar on Sunday. However, that was a scratchy first-round performance–so Ruud once again looks vulnerable in Melbourne, where he is 10-7 all time (qualifying matches included) with only two trips past the second round and none past the fourth. Sound the upset alert.
Pick: Mensik in 4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. (29) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime could hardly be hotter to start the season, and it’s just what the doctor ordered given his 2023 and 2024 struggles. The 23rd-ranked Canadian is 6-1 with a title in Adelaide and wins over No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 12 Tommy Paul. Without much rest following his Adelaide exploits, Auger-Aliassime got right back in gear to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 on Monday.
Up next for the 29th seed is a fifth encounter with Davidovich Fokina, who is getting swept 4-0 in the head-to-head series (3-0 at the ATP level). They have met once at the Australian Open and it was a fun one; Auger-Aliassime prevailed 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(4), also in the second round. Unfortunately for Davidovich Fokina, getting a second-set retirement from Jerry Shang on Monday does nothing to indicate that his game has resurfaced. The Spaniard is down at No. 66 in the world and was 4-9 in his last 13 main-draw matches heading into Melbourne. An in-form Auger-Aliassime has every reason to maintain his mastery of this matchup.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 4
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