By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday January 13, 2025
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka highlight a star-studded Day 4 schedule on Rod Laver Arena. Here's what we'll be watching.
Photo Source: Robert Prange/Getty
Day 4 of the Australian Open will feature second-round matchups for the top half on the women’s side and the bottom half on the men’s side.
Here’s the schedule for the big showcourts:
And the full order of play is here
Here’s what we’ll be keeping close tabs on…
Sabalenka and Gauff on Laver
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff met in the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2024, with the Belarusian taking a straight sets victory and going on to win the title. We could see a similar scenario this year, with the No.1 and No.3 seeds slated to face one another in the last four again if the seeds hold.
On Tuesday fans will see both on Rod Laver Arena, as Sabalenka takes on Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first match, while Gauff takes on Brit Jodie Burage in the night session.
Both were strong in their opening matches against former Grand Slam champions, with Sabalenka taking out Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2, while Gauff edged Sofia Kenin, 6-3, 6-3.
Sabalenka, seeking a third consecutive crown in Melbourne, is the favorite to win the title, but Gauff enters on a hot streak, having won 19 of her previous 21 matches dating back to the start of her title run at Beijing.
A Big Day for Czechia
On the men’s side the Czechs have three rising forces in the draw, and each will be in action on Day 4. 19-year-old Jakub Mensik will face sixth-seeded Casper Ruud on Margaret Court Arena, while Tomas Machac, seeded 26th, faces Reilly Opelka on 1573 Arena, first up.
And don’t sleep on Jiri Lehecka. The No.24 seed faces France’s Hugo Gaston on Court 7. The 2023 quarterfinalist, along with his two compatriots, has the potential to be a Top-10 player at some point, maybe even by the end of 2025.
On the women’s side 2023 Roland-Garros finalist Karolina Muchova will face Naomi Osaka in one of the most highly anticipated matches of Day 4. Muchova defeated Osaka at the US Open last year, 6-3, 7-6(5) in the second round – she owns a 2-1 lifetime edge over the four-time major champion.
Djokovic and Alcaraz Go Again
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz contest their second round matches on Wednesday in Melbourne, with the 10-time champion facing Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria on Rod Laver (second match), while Alcaraz plays on Margaret Court in the second round against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. Alcaraz defeated Nishioka at the Paris Masters in 2022. It was the pair’s only previous meeting.
Other Notable Day 4 Clashes
Kei Nishikori saved two match points to win in five sets in his first-round match against Thiago Monteiro of Brazil. He’ll be back in action against Tommy Paul, who also needed five sets to get past Christopher O’Connell in round one… Felix Auger-Aliassime, fresh off a title run in Adelaide, takes on the always entertaining Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Kia Arena… American Jessica Pegula, who was brilliant in her first-round victory over Maya Joint, faces veteran Elise Mertens on Margaret Court. The Buffalo native is on track to face Gauff in the quarterfinals, if the seeds hold.