Joao Fonseca will be back in action at the Australian Open on Thursday and will look to build on his victory over Andrey Rublev when he takes on Lorenzo Sonego. Frances Tiafoe faces Fabian Marozan in round two.

(F) Joao Fonseca versus Lorenzo Sonego

Fonseca is the talk of the tennis world after knocking out Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday night. Of course, the hype isn’t just about beating Rublev. After all, it’s not like Fonseca upset Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. What’s arguably even more impressive than dismissing the world No. 9 is the overall magnitude of Fonseca’s success at just 18 years old. He won the NextGen ATP Finals last month and since that result he has been on a 14-match winning streak. The Brazilian is 9-0 this year and hasn’t lost a single set.

Next up for the newest tennis sensation is Sonego on Thursday, who Fonseca has competed against in the early stages of his career. They met last spring on the clay courts of Bucharest, where Fonseca prevailed 7-6(5), 7-5. Given the progress his opponent has shown in the short nine months since that clash, things are unlikely to get any better for Sonego. The Italian, ranked 55th, beat Stan Wawrinka well in four sets on Tuesday, but he is on a disastrous run of 10 straight tournaments without progressing beyond a second round. With Fonseca on the other side of the net, this drought is likely to continue.

Selection: Fonseca in 3

Fabian Marozsan against (17) Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe looked like he had left Melbourne in the first round but he will live to see another day. The 16th-ranked American struggled physically against Arthur Rinderknech – including vomiting on the court – but survived after four games, 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-3 hours and eight minutes.

The good news is that Tiafoe has two full days off before his next game as the first round is spread over three days. The 26-year-old should be at 100 percent, and he will need to be if he is to successfully handle Marozsan’s style of play involving all manner of drop shots and general junk balling. The Hungarian, ranked 59th, also had an extremely tough start and beat Thiago Seyboth Wild 6:3, 6:7(5), 7:5, 5:7, 7:5 in three hours and 56 minutes. Marozsan is just 6-6 lifetime in the major draw, so Tiafoe has a big edge in terms of experience. Make sure the number 17 recovers well and improves his level on the way to a more routine day at the office.

Selection: Tiafoe in 4