Australian Open 2025 Day 3 Summary

Day three at Melbourne Park concluded the opening round and was upset by Andrey Rublev, who fell to qualifier Joao Fonseca in straight sets.

Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev were the other two highest-ranked players in action, and their matches were polar opposites.

Fritz comprehensively dispatched Brooksby in straight sets while Medvedev avoided becoming the day’s second high-profile Russian victim, defeating Thai wildcard Kasidit Samrej in five sets.

Flavio Cobolli, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alexei Popyrin were the other seeded players to lose. The latter came loose with Corentin Moutet’s style of play to disappoint the home crowd.

Full results and select highlights below.

Day Three 2025 Australian Open Round of 128 Results

Medvedev bypasses Samrej to avoid upset

Daniil Medvedev has reached three of the last four finals in Melbourne, but after losing last year from two sets down, his season never really got going, apart from a final run at Indian Wells.

That trend appears to have continued into 2025, when he was forced to fight back from two sets down to defeat world number 418 Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in a dramatic encounter in first round.

Medvedev has struggled lately to command authority in the game, and the bold play of the Thais caused him problems.

However, he still has excellent fitness and the legs to track a lot of balls, so when the wildcard tired he found his rhythm in the fourth and fifth sets to seal the win in just under three hours.

Samrej, who was making his Grand Slam debut, was spotted training with Novak Djokovic in the off-season and showed a varied game, mixing powerful groundstrokes with clever drop shots, so I was impressed.

But Medvedev’s game has felt undercooked lately. He uses powderpuff type groundstrokes, so I don’t see how he can disrupt the top guys he’s hoping for unless something changes. He’s also turning into more of a racket smasher, and he delayed the game when he slammed his racket into the net cam. A little lame.

Medvedev will face Learner Tien next, who won a five-set thriller against Camilo Ugo Carabelli. I think it’s going to be another tricky day at the office.

I know I play better when I play more tennis. So I thought: ‘Why play an hour, 30 [minutes]I need at least three hours to feel my shots better and get a good feel. But seriously, in the second and third sets I couldn’t touch the ball, no power or anything. I didn’t know what to do. Medvedev on his tough 1st round.

Monfils Pips Perricard

Just days after becoming the oldest player to win an ATP title and surpassing Roger Federer, Gael Monfils claimed a dramatic five-set victory over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Australian Open. Monfils prevailed 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-7(5), 6-4 in a nearly four-hour battle on Court 3.

The younger Frenchman has topped the serve stats lately, and while he hit 19 aces, it was Monfils who didn’t lose serve throughout the match – a first in a five-set Grand Slam match since 1991.

I knew Monfils would be tricky, but I thought youth would triumph over experience, and Gael would probably be tired from Auckland.

But in the fifth set, Monfils took advantage of two double faults from Mpetshi Perricard to break in the opening game and held her lead to seal the win.

I don’t focus on my age. It’s just a number, but I’m sure I’ll feel more 48 than 38 tomorrow morning.

Giovanni is in the category of Reilly (Opelka), John (Isner), Ivo (Karlovic), Milos (Raonic). Sure it’s a bullet, his first serve, but where he stands out for me… is because his second serve is insanely good.

His second serve is the best, because of the way he hits it, the accuracy, the power that he puts (on it). I think he’s the first guy on tour to hit a second serve that big.
Monfils on his veteran status.

Fonseca Routs Rublev

Joao Fonseca got people talking after he swept the Next Generation Finals in December. He started in 2025, where he left off, winning the Canberra Challenger and progressing through qualifying without dropping a set.

Today he saw off Andrey Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) to record a winning debut in Melbourne and his first career top 10 win.

Beating the world No. 9 is a huge win, but if you had to pick someone in the top 10 to face, Rublev would probably be at the top of most people’s lists.

The Russian hasn’t played well in recent months, and Fonseca’s lackluster power on both wings was too much for him to handle.

Aside from his blazing forehand, the most impressive part of the match was his composure on the big points. He let go of a 4-0 lead in the third set tiebreak, but at 5-5 he crushed two straight winners to get the job done.

Fonseca now faces Lorenzo Sonego in the second round after the Italian defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.

Other notable matches

Fourth seed Taylor Fritz eased into the second round with a dominant 6-2, 6-0, 6-3 win over Jenson Brooksby. Fritz will face Cristian Garin, who defeated Borna Coric in straight sets.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini defeated Cameron Norrie 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 and fired 32 aces. The Italian will face Holger Rune, who defeated Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Eighth seed Alex de Minaur advanced with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 win over Botic van de Zandschulp. The Australian saved four out of five break points and I think he has a good chance to reach the second week after his outstanding season in 2024. He will next face American qualifier Tristan Boyer, who defeated Federico Coria in a five-set battle.

Australian Open Day 4 round of 64 matches