Djokovic, Alcaraz on Australian Open QF collision course

Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and four-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz are on a quarter-final collision course at the season’s first Grand Slam tournament.

Alcaraz, the third seed who is trying to complete the Career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, will play Alexander Shevchenko in his opener with Yoshihito Nishioka or a qualifier looming in the second round.

View Australian Open draw here.

But all eyes will be on the potential of the Spaniard taking on Djokovic in the last eight. The Serbian will take on a confident young opponent in recent Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF competitor Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round.

The American, who played college tennis at Stanford, is into the Auckland semi-finals. He entered the week with just one tour-level win, which came last month in Jeddah.

All seven of Djokovic and Alcaraz’s previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings have come in the semi-finals or later. Last year they met in the final of Wimbledon, won by Alcaraz, and the Paris Olympics, where Djokovic claimed gold.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner will face a stern opening test in the first round against big-hitting Chilean Nicolas Jarry. The 29-year-old was the 18th seed Down Under last year.

The first-round opponents have split their two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. Just a few months ago, Sinner needed three sets to rally past Jarry in Beijing.

“Melbourne, it’s a very nice tournament, beautiful people,” Sinner said at the draw ceremony. “It’s called the Happy Slam so we are all very happy to be back here and hopefully all the players we can show some good tennis, which I think is the most important part.”

The Chilean is not the only challenge in Sinner’s section of the draw. The first seeded opponent the top seed could face is countryman and 32nd seed Flavio Cobolli. Potential third-round opponents for Sinner include 13th seed Holger Rune, 18th seed Hubert Hurkacz and former Top 10 stars Matteo Berrettini and Cameron Norrie.

Sinner could take on Australian hope and eighth seed Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals. The home favourite will battle Botic van de Zandschulp, who ousted Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

Second seed Alexander Zverev also has a tricky opening matchup against former Australian Open semi-finalist Lucas Pouille.

Fourth seed Taylor Fritz and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev are in the second quarter of the draw, with Sinner in the top of their half. Fritz of the United States will play countryman Jenson Brooksby in the first round, and Medvedev will open against wild card Kasidit Samrej of Thailand.