Three upsets on Day 2 of 2025 Australian Open

The second day of the 2025 Australian Open saw fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz and sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina coast into the second round with straight-set wins. But a few notable players suffered upset losses a day after the Melbourne event bid goodbye to 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and other top-ranked players.  

Ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev

On paper, this was the biggest upset at a major since Carlos Alcaraz fell to the unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp at last year's U.S. Open. Yet, it never felt like one to those watching the game, as 18-year-old prodigy Joao Fonseca looked like he belonged in his major debut. 

Fonseca didn't show any signs of nerves in two tiebreakers while overcoming Rublev in straight sets, becoming only the second teenager in 52 years to beat a top-10 ranked opponent in their grand-slam debut. As for Rublev, he'll always be remembered as the first notable victim of a youngster who seems destined for greatness. 

25th-seeded Alexei Popyrin

The Aussie walked into the event to some hype after his impressive 2024 that saw him win a Masters 1000 title in Canada and upset Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open. With the Melbourne fans in his corner, Popyrin was expected to make some noise at the first major of the year. 

Instead, he suffered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 loss to unseeded Frenchman Corentin Moutet, albeit due to an apparent injury. After winning the first set, Popyrin battled a left hip/lower back issue the rest of the way and had to take a medical timeout. Ultimately, it was a valiant effort on his part to push the match to four sets.

26th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova

A few years ago, a 26th-seeded player losing to 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu wouldn't have been viewed as an upset. However, Raducanu's precipitous fall in the rankings — to the point where she's been unseeded at every major since 2023 — has made her the perennial underdog. 

Raducanu defeated Russia's Alexandrova in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, to win a major match for the first time since the third round of last year's Wimbledon. The injury-ravaged Briton is trying to turn her career around in 2025. On the flip side, Alexandrova reached a career-high ranking of No. 15 last April and needed a good showing in Melbourne to return to prominence. 

So who's on upset alert on Wednesday's Day 3? On the men's side, Novak Djokovic could have his hands full against 21-year-old Jaime Faria, who impressed during the qualifiers. On the women's side, Karolina Muchova must contend with the resurgent, unseeded Naomi Osaka.