Source : ABC NEWS
It smells like teen spirit at Melbourne Park as the second week of the men’s singles get underway without a handful of top seeds after they were sent home at the hands of teenagers.
Three top-10 players at this year’s Open didn’t even make it to the third round after being ousted by teens in the early stages of the tournament.
Eighteen-year-old João Fonseca shocked ninth seed Andrey Rublev with a straight-sets victory in the opening round, while Learner Tien ousted world number three Daniil Medvedev, and fellow 19-year-old Jakub Mensik stunned sixth seed Casper Ruud in the second round.
Notably, world number four Taylor Fritz was also sent packing, leaving just six of the top-10 seeds in the final 36. However, that was at the hands of 38-year-old Frenchman Gaël Monfils.
Established star and four-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz was asked what advice he had for the next generation of stars, which he himself is a part of, being only 21.
“I’ve seen those players. I’ve seen the level that they have … I was surprised a little bit about his [Tien’s] level. I don’t know which ranking they are going to reach, but they have a lot of potential,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“I mean, I’m talking like I am 30 years old, I’m just two years older than them. So, what advice … don’t beat me, I guess, I don’t know.”
The first big upset of the tournament came when 20-year-old Alex Michelsen beat 11th seed and 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tstsipas in the first round in four sets.
Joao Fonseca of Brazil is a rising star in men’s tennis. (Getty Images: Hannah Peters)
World number 42 Michelsen continued his surge to knock out number 19 seed Karen Khachanov in the third round, and will have the chance to take another massive scalp when he faces world number eight Australian Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.
He is the second-youngest man from the United States since Andy Roddick in 2003 to get this far Down Under.
“I played unbelievable most of that match. I don’t know what’s going on. … I’ve never hit my forehand that well,” Michelsen said after his victory over Khachanov.
While teen prodigies aren’t rare in tennis, the announcements of these youngsters comes as the guard continues to change in men’s tennis following the retirements of veteran champions and speculation as to who the next “big three” will be.
In recent slams, at 19, Alcaraz won the US Open in 2022, as did Coco Gauff in 2023.
Emma Raducanu stunned the tennis world when at 18 she claimed the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, and a year earlier Iga Swiatek won her first slam at 19 at the French Open.
And last year it was Mirra Andreeva who became the teenage sensation at the Australian Open after she took out one of the tournament favourites, Ons Jabeur, in the second round at just 16.
Mirra Andreeva upset Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 French Open. (Getty Images: Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images)
She then pulled off one of the comebacks of the slam — recovering from 1-5 down in the deciding set against France’s Diane Parry to save a match point and win the match in a tie-break — and beat two-time Australian Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka at last year’s French Open.
She remains the only real teenage threat on the WTA Tour, as the next highest-ranked teenager is 18-year-old Australian Maya Joint at 105, who exited the Open after a first-round defeat to Jessica Pegula.
However, the emergence of the teenagers in the men’s draw at this Open has fed an extra layer of fan excitement given the current shift in men’s tennis following the retirements of 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal and 20-time major winner Roger Federer.
Notably, 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokokic continues on tour, now 37 and coached by recently-retired Andy Murray.
But Djokovic didn’t win a slam last year.
Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner — favourites to play out in this year’s final — continuously appear in conversations of who will be the next “big three” of men’s tennis.
When Fonseca stunned Rublev, some fans were eager to speculate online whether he could be the potential third in the next generation mix before being sent home in the second round with a five-set loss to Lorenzo Sonego.
Time will tell, but the Brazilian — like Tien and Michelsen — is part of a fresh wave of talent in a hurry to make their mark.
