The much-anticipated men’s singles third-round meeting between Australia's sixth seed Alex de Minaur and American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe headlines the night session on Friday at Australian Open 2026, with the Day 6 schedule also featuring the men's and women's top seeds, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka.
De Minaur and Tiafoe meet for the fifth time and the second time in a major after they clashed in the second round of the US Open in 2018, with the Australian taking a 3-1 head-to-head record into a match that was earmarked as one of the can't-miss meetings of the opening week in Melbourne when the draw was released.
Earlier on the Friday Rod Laver Arena schedule, Sabalenka meets Austria's Anastasia Potapova, while Alcaraz faces 32nd seed Corentin Moutet of France in what's sure to be an eye-catching encounter.
The Margaret Court Arena third-round Friday slate features men's 11th seed Daniil Medvedev and women's third seed Coco Gauff in the day session, while at John Cain Arena, rising Canadian Victoria Mboko opens the day session against 14th seed Clara Tauson of Denmark before American Tommy Paul meets Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Women's seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and men's third seed Alexander Zverev will look to extend their stays in Melbourne at JCA in the night session.