Jordan Thompson, Storm Hunter, Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin lead the Aussie charge on day four at Australian Open 2024.
Melbourne, Australia , 16 January 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Alexei Popyrin faces one of the toughest propositions in tennis on day four at Australian Open 2024.
The 24-year-old Aussie will attempt to end Novak Djokovic’s incredible 29-match winning streak at Rod Laver Arena this evening.
It’s a daunting task, but the world No.43 vowed he is unfazed by the challenge.
“Going to play against Novak is nothing different than going to play against anybody else on tour. For me it’s the same preparation. For me it’s the same mentality,” Popyrin said.
“I’m going in there with full confidence. If I don’t go in there with that confidence, there’s no point going in there.”
While Popyrin has only faced the 10-time Australian Open champion once before, his compatriot Jordan Thompson is more familiar with his second-round opponent.
The world No.47 plays Australian Open 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas for the fourth time.
“I know what I’m going up against. He’s a quality player,” said Thompson, who won their most recent encounter at Indian Wells last year.
Chris O’Connell is anticipating a tough battle when he meets world No.16 Ben Shelton, an Australian Open quarterfinalist last summer.
“Ben is unbelievable. He’s playing some scary tennis at times,” O’Connell said of the 21-year-old American.
Alex de Minaur’s second-round opponent is world No.41 Matteo Arnaldi, who broke Australian hearts in the Davis Cup final late last year.
“It’s no secret Davis Cup is a huge priority for me. It’s been shattering the last couple of years just to get so close to the Holy Grail and just barely miss out,” De Minaur.
“I do associate Matteo as the guy that beat us in the Davis Cup final, so I’ll do my best to hopefully get some revenge.”
Meanwhile in women’s singles action, Storm Hunter comes face-to-face with one of her fiercest doubles rivals, German Laura Siegemund.
Ranked world No.1 and world No.5 respectively in doubles, today they battle for a place in the singles third round.
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For those who can’t make it to Melbourne Park, the tournament is broadcast live in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport. Play begins from 11am AEDT.
Aussies in action on day four:
Men’s singles, second round
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Matteo…
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