Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are on a collision course for the semifinals in the bottom half of the Australian Open draw. They are heavy favorites in round three on Friday against Nuno Borges and Jake Fearnley, respectively.
Nuno Borges vs. (3) Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz and Borges will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they collide in the Australian Open third round on Friday. Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the red clay of Barcelona, where Alcaraz treated the home crowd to a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Borges has come out of the gates blazing hot in 2025–but not to the extent that there is any reason to expect any kind of different outcome in this rematch. After all, Alcaraz has also been on fire through two matches at Melbourne Park. The world No. 3 has made no secret about his goal to complete the career Grand Slam right here and right now, and he is playing like it. Alexander Shevchenko and Yoshihito Nishioka were swiftly wiped off the court in the first two rounds. Borges also lacks the offensive firepower to give Alcaraz any trouble, so Portugal’s top player will likely suffer the same fate.
Pick: Alcaraz in 3
Jake Fearnley vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
Zverev is looking like a real contender to finally capture his first major title. The second-ranked German is coming off the best season of his career and is showing no signs of slowing down based on his first couple of performances in this 2025 campaign. He booked a spot in round three by destroying both Lucas Pouille and Pedro Martinez.
Up next for Zverev is another favorable draw in Fearnley. The Brit did very well on the Challenger circuit following his awesome college career at TCU and his transition to the main tour has impressed in its early stages, but it’s hard to see a player currently outside the top 100 giving this version of Zverev any kind of serious test. Another straightforward result for the No. 2 seed should be in the cards.
Pick: Zverev in 3
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