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Will probably be an all-French battle when Arthur Fils takes on Ugo Humbert for a spot within the Australian Open spherical of 16 on Friday. Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic may even be in motion in opposition to No. 15 seed Jack Draper.
(14) Ugo Humbert vs. (20) Arthur Fils
This one is about as juicy because the third spherical in a serious can get. The seedings held up and No. 14 Ugo Humbert will tackle countryman Arthur Fils for the fifth time in 18 months. Apart from a shellacking that Fils took in Montreal final summer time, the matches have been aggressive–with their final conflict within the last of Tokyo a respectable barnburner. It was the primary win for Fils within the head-to-head sequence, which Umbert nonetheless leads 3-1 on the primary tour.
Humbert’s finest yr by far was his 2024 season, which he wrapped up with a run to the ultimate at residence on the Paris Masters. He acquired clapped within the title match by Alexander Zverev, however he dispatched world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz en route. Fils had a equally spectacular 2024 with two titles and an look on the NextGen ATP Finals. Humbert has gotten by in straight units within the first two rounds this week, however he performed a pair of qualifiers. Fils dropped a set in each of his first matches in Melbourne in opposition to Otto Virtanen and Quentin Halys.
Whereas Humbert has the sting within the head-to-head, Fils might effectively already be turning the tide on this matchup.
Cheryl choose: Fils in 5
Ricky choose: Fils in 5
(15) Jack Draper vs. Aleksandar Vukic
Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic is ranked 68th on the planet, however he’s taking part in a lot better than that proper now. With the 28-year-old taking part in at residence and coming off an upset win over No. 22 seed Sebastian Korda within the second spherical, he’s a harmful opponent–even for the No. 15 seed. Vukic elected to complete his 2024 season on the Challenger circuit, the place he made the semis in Taipei after additionally reaching an ATP semifinal in Almaty.
The highest-ranked Brit in males’s tennis, Jack Draper, was completely implausible within the final quarter of the 2024 season. He got here considerably out of nowhere to claw his method into the semifinals of the U.S. Open. And whereas it’s not normal for one quarter of the draw to open up on the final main of the yr, it gave Draper momentum into autumn and he gained his second title of the season in Vienna.
Draper has been by the wringer in Melbourne thus far. He has been on courtroom over 8.5 hours in two matches and has a pair of considerably surprising five-set battles in opposition to Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis to earn his spot within the third spherical. With the way in which Vukic has been taking part in, this one is an upset alert.
Cheryl choose: Vukic in 4
Ricky choose: Vukic in 5
