Australian Open 2025 Day 7 Summary

The last sixteen line-ups in Melbourne have been set as the top half of the draw completed their run of thirty-two games on Saturday.

During the day session, Jannik Sinner continued his title defense mission with an easy 6-3 6-3 6-2 win over Marcos Giron.

The only upset of the day was Gael Monfils taking out Taylor Fritz in four sets to make the fourth round in Melbourne for the fifth time.

A “big” story is that no one-handed backhands will feature in the last sixteen at the Australian Open for the first time in the tournament’s history. Musetti was the last man standing, and he couldn’t take the mantle anymore, losing to Ben Shelton in four sets.

Full results and select highlights below.

Day Seven 2025 Australian Open Round of 32 Results

Monfils Masters Fritz in Melbourne

Gael Monfils was not the pick of many to make round four in Melbourne, but he upset the apple cart on Saturday, producing a stunning 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4 upset of fourth seed Taylor Fritz.

The 38-year-old Frenchman, who became the oldest man in nearly 50 years to win an ATP Tour title in Auckland last week, extended his winning streak to eight matches with a dominant performance, including 24 aces against the American.

Fritz’s previous three matches were all demolition jobs, so he looked like a good bet to make the last sixteen. Still, Monfils caused him far too many problems.

We all know Gael can be a bag of tricks, which is often a weakness, but it was an asset today as he mixed up the pace of his groundstrokes, which Fritz couldn’t handle and couldn’t find a way to disrupt him from the baseline .

La Monf has been on tour since the 2000s, so he’s faced a lot of players who have transition games and can mix it up, whereas Taylor wouldn’t know what a transition game was even if he saw one.

That meant he had no way to get on the front foot and couldn’t handle any dip shots that lured him to the net, and after struggling to pick them up, Monfils just picked him off.

Monfils was also dominant on serve, winning 82% of first-serve points and 68% of second-serve points. It was one of the best tactical displays I’ve seen from him, and it was a far cry from the Clownfil nickname he earned earlier in his career.

As I always say, I keep playing for these games. A great player, great stadium, great crowd, great energy. When you are 38 years old, [that’s] what i want. I had it. I was very lucky to win it. That’s exactly why I play. The game plan was to hold the baseline and change the tempo, hit some big shots down the line and also use some form. I did the job. We work hard and I try to be very disciplined with the recovery. I strongly believe that I can still do some damage and I have a lot of confidence in my team. Monfils on his win over Fritz.

Minds slide into the second week

Jannik Sinner advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 straight sets win over Marcos Giron.

There isn’t much to report here, as Giron has no real way to beat Sinner, who is too stable from the baseline.

While Giron plays and moves excellently, he doesn’t have the tools to worry Sinner. Tactically, I’m not sure how you go about that game other than playing tight and hoping he has a bad day.

An early break in each set proved the difference, and although Sinner dropped serve in the third set, he was never worried.

I am very happy to be in the next round. Each match has its own difficulties. Today I felt he was very solid from the back of the court when he was serving well. I still have room to improve, but every win is great, especially in these conditions. As always, thanks so much for your support, it’s great to play night sessions here. Today the percentage of my net play was not really good, but I’m trying to improve, it’s part of the game. Sometimes I feel a little better, sometimes worse, that’s normal. Trying to stay there mentally is the most important aspect. Hopefully in the next round I can raise my level, but I’m still very happy. Sensing his gain.

Other notable matches

Alex de Minaur is the last Aussie standing in Melbourne. For the fourth consecutive year, he reached the last sixteen by beating 31st seed Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3.

The 8th seed had a poor end to a stellar 2024 season, but his legs are back in Melbourne, and he shook off a struggling first set and squandered a break advantage in the second to level the match in a decisive tie- break.

Cerundolo couldn’t keep up physically in the third set as the De Minaur road raced to victory. He will next face American Alex Michelsen, who defeated Karen Khachanov in straight sets.

Ben Shelton made history in Melbourne by ensuring there won’t be a single one-handed backhander in the last sixteen. It is the first time this has happened in the history of the tournament.

He achieved that by dispatching 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the second time. Shelton, who reached the quarter-finals on his Melbourne debut in 2023, will next face Gael Monfils.

Holger Rune came from a set down to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a clash with Jannik Sinner in the next round.

Kecmanovic was on the verge of victory, leading 4-2, 30/0 in the fourth set, but Rune turned the game around and won four straight games to level the match.

The Dane had a cramp in the last set, so he shortened the point, and since Kecmanovic was not one of the best “nutritionists”, he came through after 3 hours and 27 minutes.

Runes’ H2H with Sinner is tied 2-2, but Runes was slightly ahead level-wise. However, Sinner has improved dramatically since then, while Rune hasn’t, so I pick the Italian in straight sets.

Australian Open Day 8 round of 16 matches