Ricky’s picks for Day 3 of the Australian Open, including

First-round competition at the tennis season’s first Grand Slam continues on Tuesday, highlighted by a showdown between Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca. Alex De Minaur is also among those taking the court.

Here are my picks for Day 3 of the Australian Open.

(9) Andrey Rublev vs. (Q) Joao Fonseca

This is arguably the marquee matchup of the whole first round at Melbourne Park. It’s the No. 9 player in the world in Rublev against an opponent who might be the most dangerous unseeded floater in the draw. Fonseca is coming off a title at the NextGen ATP Finals and opened this season with a Challenger title in Canberra. Is the 18-year-old Brazilian on the way to being a world No. 1 and Grand Slam champion? The hype certainly thinks so.

Regardless of what the distant future holds, Fonseca could be line for immediate success on Tuesday. Not only is he playing great, but he also has the benefit of Rublev’s lackluster form. The Russian is 1-6 in his last seven matches dating back to this past fall. All of the pressure is on Rublev, and it’s a situation–and an opponent–he might not be able to handle.

Pick: Fonseca in 5

Botic van de Zandschulp vs. (8) Alex de Minaur

De Minaur is getting night-session treatment in Rod Laver Arena. And why not? He is the host nation’s best hope to make a deep run at this Aussie Open, especially with Nick Kyrgios already out of the event and Thanasi Kokkinakis struggling physically. Park. De Minaur is coming off the best year of his career in which he went 47-21 record and booked a trip to the Nitto ATP Finals.

Up first for the Demon is Van de Zandschulp. They previously faced each other at the Davis Cup Finals in 2022, when the Aussie prevailed 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Van de Zandschulp famously upset Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open in 2024, but it’s unlikely that he has another upset up his sleeve. Good results for the Dutchman are generally few and far between.

Pick: De Minaur in 3

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.