Coco Gauff moved into the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a straightforward victory over Leylah Fernandez.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overcame a wobbly display to reach the Australian Open fourth round while Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were at their dazzling best on a warm but windy Friday at Melbourne Park.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the limit in setting up an Australian Open showdown with talented teenager Mirra Andreeva on Friday

The top brass of world tennis returned to the status quo on day eight of the Australian Open, with the big names picking up wins.

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic.

Elsewhere, in the men's draw, American 12th seed Tommy Paul will take on Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while German second seed Alexander Zverev faces French 14th seed Ugo Humbert. The winners of these matches will advance to the semi-finals.

The business end is fast approaching at Melbourne Park, as the first fourth-round matches were played on Sunday (January 19, 2025) with quarter-final spots up for grabs. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka raced into the quarter-finals thanks to an 18th successive Australian Open victory,

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz can set up a blockbuster quarter-final when the Australian Open enters the fourth round on Sunday

While there have been plenty of surprises in the men’s bracket so far, most of the top women have progressed through the draw without an issue.

Alcaraz and Djokovic are highlight reels and attention magnets. When they play each other, ever ounce of their energy is on the task at hand