Daniil Medvedev takes on Nuno Borges in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open on Monday (Sunday night ET) in the Rod Laver Arena. Hunting for his second Grand Slam title, the Russian will face a stern challenge from the history-making Portuguese.
The pair have never crossed paths before. To get to the Round of 16, Medvedev battled past a couple of tricky opponents. He began his campaign against Terence Altmane, who retired midway. He then beat Emil Ruusuvuori, shooting 23 aces in a five-hour tussle that ended at 3:40 a.m. The World No.3 negated Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to advance.
Borges, meanwhile, is on a giant-killing streak. After a win against Maximilian Marterer in the first round, he upset #23 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and #13 seed Grigor Dimitrov. He has dropped only one set en route to becoming only the second player from Portugal to make it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam.
While Borges can be proud of felling two seeded opponents, defeating Medvedev will likely be a step too far. The two-time Australian Open finalist is a favorite for the title. After two scratchy wins, he seems to have found his groove with a demolition of Auger-Aliassime, displaying incredible power-hitting. He will now not take his foot off the gas, spelling trouble for Borges.
The 26-year-old has had a memorable campaign, but his fairytale could end. He may take a set off given his momentum, but that is the maximum damage he is likely to inflict. The SportsRush predicts Daniil Medvedev to win in four sets.
The duo will cross paths on Monday, January 22, not before 1:30 p.m. local time (9:30 pm Sunday, January 21, ET). ESPN and Tennis Channel will stream the match in the USA. Temperatures are expected to be around 18°C in cloudy and humid conditions. Rain would not be an issue since the Rod Laver Arena has a retractable roof.
Daniil Medvedev and Nuno Borges form guide and Australian Open history
Before a shock third-round exit last year, Daniil Medvedev made it to two consecutive finals in the Australian Open. In 2021, he was defeated by Novak Djokovic while Rafael Nadal emerged victorious in 2022. With Nadal not featuring and many top seeds like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune going out early, he will fancy his chances for the title this year. He opted to not play any build-up tournaments ahead of the Grand Slam, coming in as World No.3 with a 0-0 record.
If he wins his fourth-round clash, Medvedev will face either Hubert Hurkacz or Arthur Cazaux, another giant-killing surprise package, in the quarter-finals. A blockbuster semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz, a rematch of their 2023 US Open clash at the same stage, could be on the cards.
Borges, on the other hand, made his debut in the Australian Open last year, going out in the first round. He rose nearly 50 places to achieve a career-high World No.63 in 2023. After a poor start to his 2024 season, he entered the AO as World No. 69 and 1-2 for the year. As a result of his historic run, he is projected to break into the top 50.
