Andrey Rublev

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — There was a moment at the Australian Open on Saturday that must have felt very much like a chance for a career-defining result ...

2 Casper Ruud, twice a major finalist last year (beaten by Brooksby); and No. Open champ and the runner-up at Melbourne Park each of the last two years (beaten by Korda), have at the very least made some newcomers feel welcome in the latter stages. “It feels pretty surreal,” said Fruhvirtova, who is appearing in just her second major tournament and got past 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in a match between a pair of players from the Czech Republic. 9 seed Holger Rune, a 19-year-old from Denmark, would still be in the bracket, and are set up to face each other for a quarterfinal berth on Monday, should come as a surprise to no one. That result, the last of the third round, left Novak Djokovic as the only player among the 16 remaining men who has won a Grand Slam title. “So this time, I just don’t want to even try to think about opportunity or something.” 1 Rafael Nadal, the defending champion and owner of 22 major trophies (beaten by American Mackenzie McDonald); No. 22 Alex de Minaur, a 23-year-old from Australia, who advanced Saturday and now gets the unenviable task of meeting 21-time Slam champion Djokovic. That works for a little bit, then it doesn’t, then works again. Wolf next plays yet another American, 89th-ranked Shelton, who won the NCAA title for the University of Florida as a sophomore last year, then turned pro. Paul, who is ranked 35th, topped Californian Jenson Brooksby by a score of 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. “It kind of always starts well in last few matches, including this one, and then some movement happens and then it gets worse,” said Djokovic, who got his leg massaged by a trainer during some changeovers Saturday.