It’s been a Grand Slam notable for the absence of really big upsets during the opening week, but that changed on Friday when up stepped Iva Jovic, yet another young American talent.
The 18-year-old reached the semifinals in Auckland and final in Hobart during her AO 2026 lead-up, and on Day 6 took out Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2 7-6(3) at John Cain Arena to chalk up a first top 10 win.
In only her sixth Grand Slam main draw, the Californian is now into the last 16 at a major for the first time where she’ll start as favourite against Yulia Putintseva on Sunday. The Kazakh outlasted Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3.
“It feels amazing. I’ve been wanting this [top 10 win] for a while now,” said Jovic, who failed to serve out the match twice before settling it in the breaker.
“I just tried to focus on what I was doing, being really aggressive and controlling the play. When I served for it, I got a little too passive. I told myself to go out swinging, and it helped in the tiebreak.”
Before Jovic’s breakthrough result, fellow Americans Coco Gauff, Tommy Paul and Learner Tien all moved into the fourth round.
Third seed Gauff survived her toughest test so far by coming from a set down to beat another player representing the Stars and Stripes, Hailey Baptiste, 3-6 6-0 6-3.
AO 2023 semifinalist Paul had things all his own way when his Spanish opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had to retire with a leg injury after the 19th seed had won the first two sets 6-1 6-1.
And Tien made it a quartet of Americans through when he outplayed Portuguese No.1 Nuno Borges 7-6(9) 6-4 6-2 in the first match on KIA Arena. The lefty even threaded a crazy return winner between the net post and the umpire’s chair early in the third set.
With another eight Americans on Saturday’s order of play, surely more will follow that awesome foursome into the last 16.
Back to Friday’s tennis, and world No.1 and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka had a scare during two tiebreak sets to beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6(4) 7-6(7).
“Tough match,” the top seed admitted. “Played really incredible tennis. I was just trying to stay there. I was trying to fight. I'm super happy with my mentality today.”
It means Sabalenka will face young Canadian talent Victoria Mboko in potentially the match of the day on Sunday after the 19-year-old moved into the fourth round at a major for the first time by beating the higher-ranked Dane Clara Tauson 7-6(5) 5-7 6-3.
There were also wins for 12th seed Elina Svitolina who beat Diana Shnaider to make it eight from eight so far in 2026, and Czech AO 2021 semifinalist Karolina Muchova who thrashed Poland's Magda Linette 6-1 6-1.
In the last match on RLA, recent Adelaide champion Mirra Andreeva made it seven wins in a row. After good wins against Donna Vekic and Maria Sakkari, this time it was Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse who was added to the 18-year-old's list of victims 6-3 6-4.
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz continues to impress, and was way too good for French left-hander Corentin Moutet in an entertaining match during the day session 6-2 6-4 6-1.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is on track for a potential semifinal meeting with third seed Alexander Zverev, who looked very smooth during a four-set win over Cameron Norrie.
Afterwards, the German promised to get his flowing locks chopped if he goes on to win his maiden Grand Slam in just over a week’s time.
Zverev plays Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who produced the shock of the day on the men’s side by beating 13th seed Andrey Rublev without dropping a set.
Rublev’s good friend Daniil Medvedev only just managed to avoid defeat when he fought back from two sets down for the fifth time in his career to beat talented Hungarian Fabian Marozsans 6-3 in the deciding set.
Late on, Alex de Minaur kept home hopes alive when he was too solid for American Frances Tiafoe. Demon’s 6-3 6-4 7-5 result keeps his dreams alive of a first Grand Slam semifinal.