Australian Open Fliers
These players may not win it all, but they’re worth looking at to win their quarters—and potentially hedge later in the tournament.
Joan Fonseca (66-1): Fonseca joined Sinner and Alcaraz on the list of 18-year-olds to win the Next Gen ATP Finals. It capped a 2024 season in which he went 12-7 at the ATP level, while also going 28-14 with two Challenger titles. Fonseca has a big, powerful baseline game, solid movement and a good head on his shoulders. It’s only a matter of time before he’s a threat to go deep in important events, and you shouldn’t rule out a run in Melbourne. Fonseca does face Andrey Rublev in the opening round, so it’s very possible he gets bounced immediately. But if he gets by the Russian, he’ll be confident in his chances of going much deeper.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (66-1): Mpetshi Perricard has the biggest serve on the ATP Tour, making him a very tough out in quick conditions. Last year, the 21-year-old went 20-13 in ATP-level matches, and he also won two tournaments. Now, Mpetshi Perricard is hoping to make a big leap, and there’s no reason he can’t. Mpetshi Perricard looked good in Brisbane, earning wins over Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe and Jakub Mensik. He just ran into a red-hot Reilly Opelka, who himself had earned a win over Djokovic. Overall, Mpetshi Perricard comes into this event in good form, and his playing style gives him a very high floor. You have to be serving very well in order to beat him, as he’s almost guaranteed a tiebreaker in every set. I like the Frenchman to beat his fellow countryman Gael Monfils in the opening round, and I can see a deep run after that. And if it’s not here, it won’t be long before he does big things at a Slam.
