Sometimes, on the road to a deep Grand Slam run, you have to prevail in gritty dogfights. However, these difficult obstacles form you into a better player and provide you with the confidence required to surpass even bigger hurdles.
Jannik Sinner needed four sets to defeat Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate in the second round of AO 2025 en route to silverware. Novak Djokovic required the same duration in the second round to defeat a 23-year-old Frances Tiafoe at AO 2021, while Roger Federer went the distance against Tommy Haas at the peak of his powers in the round of 16 at AO 2006.
At world No.90, Hamad Medjedovic might not be the highest-ranked player on Alex de Minaur’s potential path to the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup; however, the Serbian challenged the Australian No.1 in their Australian Open 2026 second-round match at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night.
With his raw power and ability to move De Minaur around the court, Medjedovic made it clear that the world No.6 would have to earn his victory. De Minaur found a way, coming from a set down to defeat Medjedovic 6-7(5) 6-2 6-2 6-1.
Rated as the best return player on the ATP Tour in 2025 behind Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, the Australian struggled to break serve for the first 17 games of this encounter. But after converting on one of six break point chances at 3-2 in the second set, De Minaur did not look back.
The 26-year-old then broke in six of Medjedovic’s next eight service games to help steer momentum. A 30-minute rain delay at the end of the second set couldn’t even derail De Minaur as he marched onto the third round for his seventh straight time at Melbourne Park.
“I just stayed patient. I weathered the storm,” De Minaur said.
“He was playing some unbelievable tennis, serving great, hitting the ball from the baseline really big and deep, and not really allowing me to do much.
“A five-set match is a long match. There’s going to be lots of chances, I took them, and I’m super happy to bat my way through.”
As the momentum of the match shifted, the Australian’s rising confidence was evident. De Minaur produced a fourth-set breadstick, which included closing out his penultimate service game in just 46 seconds.
“I do take a lot of pride in these types of victories more than anything because I’m playing a very tough opponent, who played really high-quality tennis,” he said.
“I felt like I was able to hang with him and maintain my level.
“As the match went on and on, I was even able to raise my level at times and that I’m very happy with. I can almost have that impact on an opponent where they might start thinking that they’re in for a long night and it’s going to be very tough.
“But of course, if we play the same match and I can skip the first set and play like I did the last couple of sets, then I’ll take that any day as well, save the legs.”
De Minaur’s next opponent will be American 29th seed Tiafoe, who overcame Argentinian Francisco Comesana in four sets just after midnight in Melbourne to set up a mouthwatering third-round showdown on Friday.
Thompson bows out in round two
Earlier in the day, Portugal’s Nuno Borges ended Jordan Thompson’s hopes of a third-round breakthrough for the second year running.
Thompson was aiming to move beyond the second round for the first time in 13 Australian Open main-draw appearances and looked up to the task early, but ultimately succumbed to the world No.46’s composure, falling 6-7(9) 6-3 6-2 6-4.
A packed 1573 Arena, awash in green and gold, provided a fitting backdrop as both players navigated challenging, swirling conditions.
Borges struck 45 winners, four more than Thompson, but the difference came in unforced errors, with the Australian committing 12 more at crucial moments in a match defined by 96 rallies of five shots or more.
(Additional reporting by Bede Briscomb)