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Bencic of Switzerland continued her excellent start to the season, claiming a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Italy's Camila Giorgi to reach the fourth round. She was followed into the second week by Sabalenka, who maintained her undefeated run of 2023 by easing past her former doubles partner, No.26 seed Elise Mertens, 6-2, 6-3.

The 23rd-seeded Zhang gained a crucial break in the sixth game of the second set and then ran away with a one-sided victory in 63 minutes. She had 20 winners in a polished performance on her 34th birthday to overwhelm 21-year-old Volynets, who had caused a major boilover in the second round by beating the ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

The two players have not met since 2019 but Bencic, the Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist, enjoyed a 3-2 head-to-head advantage going into their sixth clash. She is also on an unbeaten run in January, having begun the 2023 season with a bang, defeating players like Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina en route to the Adelaide International title.

The American struck the ball confidently from the first point against the seventh-seeded Medvedev. He broke the 2021 and 2022 Australian Open finalist in the first game and was a constant threat in return games, ultimately converting five out of 10 break points and holding his nerve in first and third-set tie-breaks to seal a fourth-round spot in style.

The third seed Tsitsipas extended his perfect set record at the 2023 Australian Open to 9-0, beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3. The Greek saved a set point late in the second set before powering through the finish at the Rod Laver Arena. Already up one place to No. 3 in the ATP Live Rankings this week, Tsitsipas will leave Melbourne as World No. 1 if he wins his first Grand Slam title.

It is the first time Murray has reached the third round at the first major of the season since 2017. He will next play Roberto Bautista Agut, the Spaniard who also rallied from two sets down to defeat American wild card Brandon Holt 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

The 35-year-old, struggling with his left leg, edged past Couacaud 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0 in three hours and four minutes. He will lock horns with former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-2, 6-0, in the third round. The Serbian is chasing a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam trophy and reclaims No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings if he wins the title.

For the second day running at the Australian Open, an unseeded American has bounced a top seed from the men's singles draw. After Mackenzie McDonald's shock win against Rafael Nadal on Wednesday, Jenson Brooksby defeated Ruud 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 on Thursday to enter the third round.

Sabalenka registered a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Rogers to reach the third round in Melbourne for the third straight year at Rod Laver Arena. She hit 32 winners, nearly doubling Rogers' 17 in the match that lasted for 1 hour and 27 minutes. The 24-year-old has started this year 6-0, having won the Adelaide International 1 title earlier this month. It is the second time in the last three years that Sabalenka has won her first six matches of the season, having also done so in 2021.

Gauff will face either Chinese Zheng Qinwen or Croatian-born American Bernarda Pera next, with the winner advancing to the Round of 16. The 18-year-old Gauff is the youngest-seeded player in the tournament and has now won seven consecutive matches to start her 2023 season.