The round of 16 begins on Sunday in Melbourne.
The second week of this extended fortnight commences on Sunday, with top names facing their toughest opponents of the tournament to date. 10-time champion Novak Djokovic plays big-hitting Czech Jiri Lehecka. Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz takes on British No.1 Jack Draper. Two-time defending champ Aryna Sabalenka gets a rematch against the player who upset her at last year’s French Open, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. And 2023 US Open champ Coco Gauff goes up against a resurgent Belinda Bencic.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Sunday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Mirra Andreeva (14) – 11:30am on Rod Laver Arena
This past June in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Andreeva upset Sabalenka in a dramatic three-setter. However, it’s worth noting Aryna was quite sick on that day, and she’s easily taken three other matches against Mirra in straights sets. One of those victories came just a few weeks ago in the semifinals of Brisbane, featuring a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2.
Sabalenka’s dominance at this tournament has become substantial. She’s now won 17 straight matches in Melbourne, and hasn’t dropped a set since the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina.
While Andreeva remains an impressive teenager with a plethora of potential titles in her future, the aforementioned French Open semifinal is the only time to date that she’s advanced beyond the fourth round of a Major. A healthy three-time Major champion should be able to rather easily overpower the 17-year-old on this fast-playing surface.
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Belinda Bencic – Not Before 1:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Gauff is the biggest threat to Sabalenka’s bid for a three-peat. The American has claimed 19 of her last 21 matches since the US Open, and she’s now 8-0 this season, having won all 16 sets she’s contested.
This is only Bencic’s third tour-level event since returning from child birth, yet she’s been mightily impressive. Belinda is also yet to drop a set, and has already defeated two Major champions: Jelena Ostapenko and Naomi Osaka. However, Bencic is yet to advance beyond the round of 16 at any Slam outside of New York.
They have split two previous meetings, with Bencic prevailing four years ago in Adelaide, and Gauff prevailing two years ago in Washington. In the rubber match on Sunday afternoon, Coco is the significant favorite. She is the WTA’s most in-form player, as the changes she’s made to her service motion have improved its efficiency, as well as boosted her confidence.
Jack Draper (15) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (3) – Not Before 3:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Draper cannot possibly have much left in his tank for this fourth round matchup. The Brit has gone to five sets in all of his first three matches, and has spent more than 12 hours and 30 minutes on court. In the last round, he played well past midnight, in a match that went all the way to a fifth-set tiebreak.
And Carlos Alcaraz is one of the last players you want to face when you are severely depleted. He is one of the fittest players on tour, and is usually bursting with explosive energy on court. Alcaraz should also be fully fresh on Sunday, as he’s only dropped one set to this stage.
Draper did upset Alcaraz in their last encounter, this past June on grass at Queen’s Club. But Alcaraz won their other two matches, both of which were on hard courts. On Sunday, the four-time Major champ is a huge favorite to advance to the quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic (7) vs. Jiri Lehecka (24) – Not Before 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Last year was the first time since 2017 that Djokovic failed to win a Major, and the first time he’s played this tournament and failed to reach the final since 2018. And his 2025 season didn’t get off to the greatest start either, losing in the quarterfinals of Brisbane to Reilly Opelka. Yet after dropping a set in each of his first two rounds, he looked sharp on Friday against someone who has previously been a tough opponent for Novak, in Tomas Machac.
Lehecka made his Major breakthrough at this event two years ago, when he reached the quarterfinals thanks to notable victories over Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime. And despite missing over three months of 2024 due to a back injury, Jiri still achieved some strong results, as he was a semifinalist at the Madrid Masters in the spring, and the champion in Antwerp in the fall. To begin 2025, he is undefeated, after winning a title in Brisbane, and losing only one set through three rounds here.
Their only prior meeting took place a year ago in this same country, when Djokovic defeated Lehecka in three sets during the United Cup. Jiri possesses one of the biggest forehands in the world, and he’s also a strong server. He’s won 81% or more of his first serve points in each of his first three matches, and only been broken twice. However, maintaining those stats against the greatest returner of all-time, and at Novak’s greatest tournament, is a daunting task. While Lehecka has the style of play that could upset Djokovic, the 10-time Australian Open champion should still be favored.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Donna Vekic (18) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27) – Vekic required nearly three hours to overcome Diana Shnaider in the last round, coming back from 5-3 in the third set. This is Pavlyuchenkova’s 17th straight appearance at the Australian Open, where she is a three-time quarterfinalist. And she is 2-0 against Donna, with two straight-set victories, including at this same event a year ago.
Paula Badosa (11) vs. Olga Danilovic – Badosa defeated Marta Kostyuk on Friday, who was a quarterfinalist here last year. On the same day, Danilovic upset US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Olga leads Paula 2-1 at all levels, though they haven’t played in nearly six years.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Tommy Paul (12) – Paul is on the verge of making his top 10 debut. He is 3-0 against Davidovich Fokina, who has come back from two-sets-down in both of his last two matches, saving two match points on Friday against Jakub Mensik.
Ugo Humbert (14) vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Previously known for long matches in early rounds, Zverev is yet to drop a set. Humbert defeated an injured Arthur Fils on Friday night, though Ugo received an injury timeout of his own due to his shoulder. Sascha has taken two of their three meetings, including just two months ago in the final of the Paris Masters, where he easily prevailed 6-2, 6-2.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
