The drama of a deciding third or fifth set routinely makes for spellbinding viewing in tennis.
But players would rather not go deep early at Grand Slams, especially those with realistic chances of grabbing silverware.
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So Alexander Zverev was pleased to keep on ticking, winning handily for the second straight round at Australian Open 2025 by beating Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-1 6-4 6-1.
Capping play under the roof at Rod Laver Arena on a Wednesday that produced rain, a sizable temperature drop and late, strong winds in Melbourne, Zverev conceded his fewest ever games at the Australian Open.
The No.2 seed – still bidding for that maiden Grand Slam title – is no stranger to marathons in the first week.
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“Usually I play 7-6 in the fifth, 6-4 in the fifth, four and a half hours, entertain you guys a bit,” the 27-year-old light-heartedly told the crowd afterwards.
“I’m getting older. Maybe shorten things up a little bit. Maybe not be as entertaining for you guys, but hopefully I’ll be more of that in the later rounds.”
On the theme of quicker, Zverev looked to end points at the net against Martinez. He ventured forward an eye-catching 30 times and won 23 of those net points.
Zverev also made it 15 consecutive wins against unseeded opposition at Grand Slams, which doesn’t bode well for his next opponent, Jacob Fearnley.
Another top-10 seed sent home by teen
After Joao Fonseca’s win over Andrey Rublev on Tuesday, another teen – Jakub Mensik – sent a top-10 seed packing.
Mensik defeated Casper Ruud 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 at Margaret Court Arena, blasting 22 aces and winning more than 65 per cent of his overall service points against the three-time Grand Slam finalist.
Unlike Fonseca, Mensik had faced top-10 opposition previously, and Wednesday’s win saw the 19-year-old former junior finalist at Melbourne Park improve his record against that upper echelon to a fine 5-4.
Besides his first loss to Taylor Fritz, the rest of his defeats have all come in deciding third or fifth sets against Hubert Hurkacz, Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur.
Two other Czechs advance in different ways
Who meets Djokovic in the third round? Mensik’s countryman and the No. 26 seed, Tomas Machac.
Machac withstood 40 aces from Reilly Opelka to beat the 211cm American 3-6 7-6(1) 6-7(5) 7-6(4) 6-4.
Crucially, Machac – who blends attacking tennis with counterpunching when required – saved two break points at 4-4 in the fourth set, one following a 15-shot rally where Opelka held the advantage.
Machac secured his lone break at 4-4 in the fifth, aided by one of Opelka’s 16 double faults.
Opelka had just toppled Djokovic on the way to the Brisbane International final, yet Machac has also ousted the 10-time Australian Open champion, last year on clay.
Countryman Jiri Lehecka bagged the Brisbane title when Opelka retired with a back injury, and the No. 24 seed benefited from another retirement on Wednesday, progressing against Hugo Gaston when the Frenchman stopped while trailing 6-3 3-1 due to an abdominal injury.
Not since 1999 have three Czech men featured in the third round at the Australian Open.
Home favourite Vukic upends Korda
A US player with Czech ties, Sebastian Korda, exited.
The No.22 seed underwent elbow surgery – to unfortunately add to his injury list – near the end of last season, then skipped the Brisbane International with a lower back complaint.
However, a spot in the final at the Adelaide International possibly suggested another deep stay was on the cards for the AO 2023 quarterfinalist.
Home favourite Aleksandar Vukic, though, collected a second consecutive five-set win by edging the No. 22 seed 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-3 7-5 at a rocking Kia Arena.
Vukic reached the third round at a major for the first time, thanks in large part to his booming forehand.
“In that second set, we went off, and I thought maybe that was it,” the world No.68, referring to a rain break, told the crowd.
“Then we came back on and I was pretty slow, but you guys were unbelievable.
“He was outplaying me. And I tried to use the crowd. You guys were pushing me so much and my level finally got to the energy of you guys, so thanks so much.”
Paul recovers against Nishikori
Two shotmakers who played five sets in the first round battled as night turned to morning in Melbourne, Tommy Paul and Kei Nishikori.
The younger of the two, Paul, fared better after a 67-minute first set and overcame the 35-year-old four-time quarterfinalist from Japan, 6-7(3) 6-0 6-3 6-1 at 1573 Arena.
Paul – a Melbourne Park semifinalist in 2023 – reeled off 10 straight games after dropping the first set.
Nishikori rallied to get back on serve for 3-4 in the second, but dropping the ensuing game again heavily swung proceedings in favour of the No.12 seed from the US.