Australian Open – 2nd round – The day of the favorites: Fritz and De Minaur on the move, Hurkacz sharply eliminated

He doesn’t make much noise but watch out for him. Taylor Fritz is world number 4 and remains in a Grand Slam final at the US Open. And at the start of this fortnight, he clearly shows why. While he had already left only five short games to his victim in the first round, the American conceded two fewer against poor Cristian Garin, a former Top 20 player who had fallen to 150th place in the world. He thus scattered the Chilean 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 in 1h22 of play, a score and an impression comparable to those of Carlos Alcaraz. Gaël Monfils knows what awaits him in the 3rd round…

Rod Laver Arena didn’t need to push him too hard. Because Alex de Minaur calmly held his place this Thursday against the American qualifier Tristan Boyer on Thursday. Despite a break conceded at the start while he warmed up the machine, the Australian, seeded 8 in the tournament, then lined up 8 games in a row and found his rhythm to ensure a solid victory in three sets (6-2, 6 -4, 6-3) and 1h59 of play. In the 3rd round, he will face the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo.

He was not really part of the list of favorites for this 2025 Australian Open. But Hubert Hurkacz, quarter-finalist last year in Melbourne, could be a dangerous outsider. Unfortunately for him, the Pole, seeded 18, did not survive the 2nd round against the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, 51st in the ATP ranking, big winner in three sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-2) and 1:51 at John Cain Arena. Weighed down by injuries at the end of the 2024 season, Hurkacz was therefore unable to ride a rather positive United Cup to start 2025: he was not far from beating Taylor Fritz during this first tournament of the season.

Besides the Fritz-Monfils, there will be another great poster in two days which will pit two young talents, Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti. The fiery American left-hander, seeded 21, got the better of the Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, a former Top 10 player who had fallen to 182nd place in the world due to multiple injuries, in four sets (6-3, 6- 3, 6-7, 6-4) and 2h36 of play in the 2nd round. For his part, the flamboyant Italian contained the Canadian Denis Shapovalov in three sets including two tie-breaks (7-6, 7-6, 6-2) and 2h42.