Aus Open: Daniil Medvedev Stuns With Epic Comeback; Aryna Sabalenka Advances

Images from Day 6 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Friday.

Medvedev fights back from two sets down to beat Marozsan

Daniil Medvedev clawed his way back from two sets down to beat Fabian Marozsan 6-7(5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 at the Australian Open on Friday to set up a last-16 tie against Learner Tien, the young American who knocked him out in the second round last year.

Having fallen in the first round at three straight Grand Slams after losing to Tien in Melbourne last year, Medvedev will now get his chance for revenge against the American, who beat him twice in three matches in 2025.

Medvedev looked destined for another early Grand Slam exit when Marozsan opened up a two-set lead, but the former world number one showed his fighting spirit to complete the comeback in three hours and 43 minutes.

As he racked up another memorable five-set victory at the Australian Open, he wrote the words, "5 sets again" as he signed off on the camera.

"He played great and I was like, 'Look, you know what? If I lose, I lose, but I'm just going to try, I'm just going to fight'," Medvedev said while munching on a protein bar.

"I do this all the time. I tried to go for it a bit more, because he was moving me all around, so it managed to work."

Both players struggled for consistency on serve in the first set and while Medvedev fired down aces at some crucial moments his efforts were undermined by unforced errors and double faults as Marozsan's calm shot-selection prevailed in the tiebreak.

"I was not calm after the first set, because I was mad at myself for not doing a bit better," said Medvedev, who was fuming and grumbling to himself after losing the opener.

"That cost me a bit, it felt really tough to get back into the second set."

Hungarian Marozsan took advantage of Medvedev's frustration, breaking twice to surge 4-1 ahead in the second set and producing arguably the point of the match with a reaction volley at the net that saw the ball spin back into his own court.

Medvedev, a three-times Melbourne finalist, finally found his rhythm in the third set, capitalising on nervy serving from Marozsan to break back and take the set 7-5.

The Russian then swept past Marozsan 6-0 in just 19 minutes in the fourth set, his deep returns and relentless pressure forcing his opponent into rushed shots.

Medvedev's winning streak ran to nine games and while Marozsan got back into the match early in the fifth set the Russian regained control to complete the turnaround -- with the help of some pickle juice.

"It happens to me sometimes when you serve for the match, you get a bit tight, a small cramp here and there," Medvedev said.

"It's better to drink some pickle juice and not cramp. So I didn't cramp and I served good."

Sabalenka passes Potapova test

World number one Aryna Sabalenka passed her first major test of the Australian Open on Friday, fending off a serious challenge from Anastasia Potapova to reach the fourth round with a tense 7-6(4), 7-6(7) win. 

At a Grand Slam spiked with geopolitical tension, Potapova played for Austria after a recent nationality switch from Russia, and represented the central European nation with distinction in the early match at Rod Laver Arena.

Seemingly down and out at 4-0 in the second set, the world number 55 broke Sabalenka three times and nudged ahead to 6-5, forcing the Belarusian into a surprising scrap to the finish. 

Potapova will rue failing to take her chances, though, seeing four set points slip through her fingers in the final tiebreak.

Sabalenka was more clinical, setting up a match point with a drive-volley down the line before sealing victory when Potapova thumped a backhand into the net. 

"She played incredible tennis. I was always on the back foot and, to be honest, there are days where you just have to be there, just have to fight," Sabalenka said on court.

"Emotionally I was all over the place ... I was just trying to cool myself down, which wasn't working well today. My brain was somewhere else, my arms were going in another direction.

"Somehow, magically, I was able to get this win."

Four-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka booked her sixth consecutive appearance in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, where she won the title back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.

Her win set up an intriguing duel against Canadian 17th seed Victoria Mboko, who edged Clara Tauson to reach the last 16 in her Australian Open main draw debut.

Teen Mboko continues dream debut

Canadian 19-year-old Victoria Mboko earned a 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-3 win over Danish 14th seed Clara Tauson to reach the fourth round on her Australian Open debut.

She is the first Canadian to reach the last 16 since Eugenie Bouchard in 2015.