The Australian Open gets underway on Sunday when seeds Alexander Bublik and Alexander Zverev face tough first-round tests. They will face Jenson Brooksby and Gabriel Diallo respectively.
(10) Alexander Bublik vs. Jenson Brooksby
For the third time in his career, Bublik leaves at a Grand Slam as one of the external title favorites behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. His first attempt did not go well: a first-round loss at Wimbledon to Jaume Munar. The second was much better, as Bublik defeated Tommy Paul on his way to the fourth round of the US Open, but suffered a bad draw and lost to Jannik Sinner. A 2025 banner campaign that included four ATP titles allowed Bublik to be an alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 28-year-old Kazakh picked up where he left off and started this season with a title in Hong Kong.
There are no more bad draws in the early stages of a slam for Bublik as the world No. 10 player, but a clash with Brooksby on Sunday is not a friendly by opening-round standards. Brooksby is back at No. 48 in the world and would now likely be seeded in the Majors had it not been for a two-year ban in 2023 and 2024. The 25-year-old American won his only previous meeting with Bublik 6-2, 6-3 at the 2022 Montreal Masters. Unfortunately for Brooksby, this is a very different Bublik who will be on the other side of the net. This would be tough for old Bublik, but the 10th seed’s current style of bullying should be enough to get rid of Brooksby’s junkets.
Choice: Bublik in 3
(3) Alexander Zverev vs. Gabriel Diallo
With each passing season without a Grand Slam title to his name, the pressure on Zverev increases. The 28-year-old German is only getting older, while Alcaraz and Sinner seemingly just get better and better. Zverev finished second at a major for the third time in his career 12 months ago, when he was blown away by Sinner in the Australian Open final. The world number 3’s current form is a bit of a question mark, as he ended 2025 by failing to break out of round-robin action at the Nitto ATP Finals and compiled a 1-1 record in the United Cup to start this season (he defeated Tallon Greekpoor, losing to Hubert Hurkacz).
First up for Zverev on Sunday is Diallo, who he has never played against. Both his style of play (a huge one-two punch with his serve and forehand) and his ranking (No. 41) suggest Diallo is one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the field. The 24-year-old Canadian reached 33rd and got a taste of the big stage when he reached the third round of the 2024 US Open as a qualifier (losing to Tommy Paul in a fourth-set tiebreak). If the passive version of Zverev shows up for this match, there could be an upset. He can fight through an uphill battle – as he often does in the early rounds at Melbourne Park – but it probably won’t be easy.
Choose: Zverev and 5
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