Great Britain's hopes of a first Australian Open winner since 1934 were dashed as Cameron Norrie was beaten by Alexander Zverev across four sets on Friday.
Norrie produced an inspired second set but was unable to make it count as third seed Zverev cruised to a 7-5 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory in just under three hours.
Zverev Overcomes Norrie Challenge to Reach Last 16
The Briton started positively with a break in the second game of the opening set, but Zverev responded instantly before getting the better of his opponent's serve late on.
However, Norrie rose to the challenge, saving three break points in the fifth game of the second set before he converted his first break point to level the match up.
Second Set Surge Not Enough as Norrie Fades in Four
But Norrie had appeared to exert all his energy in hauling himself level, with Zverev halting his momentum
in the third set before efficiently wrapping up victory.
Zverev will face Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the quarter-finals in Melbourne, after the Argentine downed Andrey Rublev 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 earlier in the day.
Make that 7-0 @AlexZverev remains undefeated against Norrie to move into the fourth round.@AustralianOpen | #A026 pic.twitter.com/SnuLMfkAGE
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 23, 2026
De Minaur Keeps Australian Hopes Alive
Sixth seed Alex de Minaur safely progressed to the next round after getting the better of American Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.
The Australian earned a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win on Rod Laver Arena.
Indeed, De Minaur is the only player to make the round of 16 at the Australian Open in each of the last five editions, a feat that could also be achieved by Jannik Sinner.
Zverev surpasses Becker
After reaching the Australian Open final last year, Zverev will be hoping that this will be the season he finally wins his first grand slam title.
In addition to reeling off seven straight wins over Norrie, Zverev has now reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the seventh time. No German man has reached the last 16 at the Australian Open more often, with the 28-year-old surpassing Boris Becker's six appearances at this stage.
De Minaur, meanwhile, ensured that for the fifth straight year, he advanced to the second week of the tournament. He also kept alive his streak (since 2018) of not falling earlier than the previous year at Melbourne Park.
