MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Frenchman Arthur Cazaux and Czech teenager Linda Noskova will look to continue their giant-killing exploits in the Australian open fourth round on Monday after announcing themselves on the big stage with two of the biggest upsets in Melbourne so far.
The 21-year-old Cazaux, who toppled eighth seed Holger Rune — one of the rising stars of the men’s tour — in the second round, could become the first wildcard to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon in 2014.
Standing in his way is Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz, with the pair set to meet on John Cain Arena.
Cazaux, ranked 122nd in the world coming into the tournament, has never before faced the big-serving Hurkacz, who beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the previous round.
A boys singles’ runner-up in Melbourne in 2020, Montpellier native Cazaux said he was determined not to go down without a fight.
“I’m ready to fight everyone,” he said after his third-round win over 28th seed Tallon Griekspoor.
“I’m here to give everything on court. Sometimes I play bad, sometimes I play good. You know, it doesn’t matter. The only thing important is to give everything on court. That’s my rules.”
In the women’s draw, 19-year-old Noskova came from a set down to stun world number one and four-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and book her ticket to the fourth round of a major for the first time.
Noskova, the first teenager to defeat the top-ranked player at the Australian Open since Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo in 1999, faces former world number three Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the first singles match on Margaret Court Arena.
Twice major winner and second seed Carlos Alcaraz resumes his bid for a maiden Australian Open crown when he takes on unseeded Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in the first match of the night session on Rod Laver Arena.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia faces 69th-ranked Portuguese Nuno Borges, while Britain’s last remaining hope in the singles, Cameron Norrie, meets German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the day’s final match on Margaret Court.
Twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, seeded 18, plays Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the opener on Rod Laver while Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya meets Italian 26th seed Jasmine Paolini in the final match on John Cain.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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