Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2022 | Leigh Rogers

Nick Kyrgios meets world No.2 Daniil Medvedev in a highly anticipated second-round Australian Open 2022 showdown tonight –and the 26-year-old Aussie can’t wait.

“He’s probably the best player in the world at the moment. So I’m pretty excited, I’m excited for that moment. That’s why I play the game,” Kyrgios said.

“To go out there and play the best in the world, that was always something I wanted. To prove to people that someone like me could win those matches.

“I’m not going to go into it with a lot of expectation. I’m going to go out there, have some fun, play my game.”

Embracing the opportunity is a mindset that Sam Stosur is also adopting in her final singles tournament.

“It’s kind of like, this is your last chance,” she explained. “If you don’t do it now, you’re never going to have another opportunity to do it.”

> READ: Sam Stosur – setting the standard

The 37-year-old Aussie champion, who plans to focus only on doubles after this tournament, meets No.10 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in second-round women’s singles action today.

Stosur and Kyrgios are among 22 Australian players scheduled to compete on day four at Australian Open 2022.

Aussies in action:

[WC] Chris O’Connell (AUS) v [13] Diego Schwartzman (ARG)
Men’s singles, second round, Court 3, first match (from 11am AEDT)
Aussie wildcard O’Connell has matched his career-best AO result and is now hoping to advance to the third round at a major tournament for the first time. The 27-year-old from Sydney is ranked No.175 and aiming to record a first top-20 win when he faces world No.13 Schwartzman. “Obviously he’s an amazing player, makes a million balls,” O’Connell said of the 29-year-old Argentine. “I’m going to have to play my best tennis. (But) I’m confident and really looking forward to it.”
Head-to-head record: First meeting

[WC] Maddison Inglis (AUS) v [Q] Hailey Baptiste (USA)
Women’s singles, second round, Margaret Court Arena, day session, second match
Inglis, a 24-year-old from Perth, sensationally defeated US Open 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez to record her first Grand Slam main draw win this week. “It was an amazing moment,” the world No.133 said. Today the Aussie wildcard meets Baptiste, a 20-year-old American qualifier ranked No.165 and making her AO debut. Recognising the opportunity, Inglis is determined to continue her winning run. “(To play) at one of the biggest tournaments in the world, it’s pretty special,” Inglis said.
Head-to-head record: First meeting

> VIEW: Australian Open 2022 women’s singles draw

[WC] Sam Stosur (AUS) v [10] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)
Women’s singles, second round, Kia Arena, second match (not before 1pm AEDT)
Stosur couldn’t hide her joy after recording a first-round win to extend her final AO singles appearance. The 37-year-old now faces Roland Garros 2021 finalist and former doubles partner Pavlyuchenkova. “We know each other pretty well,” Stosur said. “Obviously it’s going to be a tough one, no doubt. She’s still one of the best players in the world, had a great year last year.” Stosur is taking a positive mindset into the clash with the world No.11. “I can go out there and have some fun again,” she said.
Head-to-head record: Stosur leads 5-4
Last meeting: Stosur won 6-2 7-6(1) (Roland Garros, 2018)

[32] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Kamil Majchrzak (POL)
Men’s singles, second round, Rod Laver Arena, day session, third match (not before 2.30pm AEDT)
The determined De Minaur has made a promising start to his AO 2022 campaign and is now aiming to match his career-best result at the tournament by progressing to the third round. Standing in his way is world No.107 Majchrzak, a 26-year-old from Poland already enjoying his own career-best AO run. “I’ve hit with him before, he’s very talented and he’s played some great matches at the ATP Cup, so another tough one for sure,” the 22-year-old Australian noted.
Head-to-head record: First meeting

> VIEW: Australian Open 2022 men’s singles draw

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v [2] Daniil Medvedev (RUS)
Men’s singles, second round, Rod Laver Arena, night session, first match (from 7pm AEDT)
Kyrgios loves the Grand Slam spotlight and will be firmly in it again tonight then he faces world No.2 Medvedev, the reigning US Open champion and highest-ranked man in the draw. “I have had success against him in the past, I know the kind of game style and the way I need to play,” world No.115 Kyrgios said of the 25-year-old Russian. “He knows how I’m going to play, I think, and I know how he’s going to play. It’s going to be very contrasting styles.”
Head-to-head record: Kyrgios leads 2-0
Last meeting: Kyrgios won 7-6(6) 7-6(4) (Washington, 2019)

[WC] Kimberly Birrell (AUS)/Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (AUS) v Nuria Parrizas Diaz (ESP)/Aranxta Rus (NED)
Women’s doubles, first round, Court 5, first match (from 11am AEDT)
Birrell, a 23-year-old from Queensland, and Kempenaers-Pocz, a 17-year-old South Australian, have both enjoyed impressive Aussie summers. Birrell returned from an elbow injury to reach the AO qualifying singles final round, while Kempenaers-Pocz scored a first top-150 singles win at Adelaide. Teaming up for a first time, the wildcards are hoping this promising form translates to doubles success. They face the more-experienced 30-year-old Parrizas Diaz and 31-year-old Rus.

> VIEW: Australian Open 2022 women’s doubles draw

[5] John Peers (AUS)/Filip Polasek (SVK) v Luke Saville (AUS)/John-Patrick Smith (AUS)
Men’s doubles, first round, Court 8, first match (from 11am AEDT)
This is a showdown between Australia’s top two-ranked doubles players – Peers and Saville, who began the season teaming up at the ATP Cup. World No.12 Peers and his Slovakian partner, world No.9 Polasek, are the fifth seeds and carry positive momentum into the tournament after capturing their second team title in Sydney last week. World No.23 Saville, an AO 2020 finalist, is partnering fellow Aussie Smith, the world No.68 who enjoyed a career-best quarterfinal run at AO 2021.

[WC] Lizette Cabrera (AUS)/Alex Bolt (AUS) v Erin Routliffe (NZL)/Michael Venus (NZL)
Mixed doubles, first round, Court 16, second match
Teaming up for the second time in an AO mixed doubles competition, 24-year-old Cabrera and 29-year-old Bolt face a combination from New Zealand. The Aussie wildcards, who played together at AO 2018 and are each seeking their first Grand Slam mixed doubles win, face Routliffe, a 26-year-old ranked No.52, and Venus, a 34-year-old ranked No.15, in this ‘across-the-ditch’ battle.

> VIEW: Australian Open 2022 mixed doubles draw

[WC] Andrew Harris (AUS)/Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v Austin Krajicek (USA)/Sam Querrey (USA)
Men’s doubles, first round, Court 5, third match
The 25-year-old Vukic is making his Grand Slam doubles debut alongside 27-year-old Harris, a two-time Grand Slam boys’ doubles champion. The Aussie wildcards face an experienced American combination in the opening round. The left-handed Krajicek is a top 40-ranked doubles specialist, while 34-year-old Querrey is making his 12^th appearances in an AO doubles draw and was a semifinalist at AO 2019.

Monique Adamczak (AUS)/Han Xinyun (CHN) v Madison Brengle (USA)/Tatjana Maria (GER)
Women’s doubles, first round, Court 8, third match (not before 2.30pm AEDT)
At last year’s AO, Adamczak was coaching Storm Sanders. But after recovering from a career-threatening toe injury, the 38-year-old is thrilled to be competing again. In her 16th appearance in an AO doubles draw, Adamczak is using a protected ranking of No.70 to partner Han, a 31-year-old Chinese player. They face Brengle, a 31-year-old American, and Maria, a 34-year-old mother of two from Germany.

> READ: Monique Adamczak – “I honestly thought I’d never play again”

[WC] Daria Saville (AUS)/Luke Saville (AUS) v [4] Alexa Guarachi (CHI)/Tim Puetz (GER)
Mixed doubles, first round, Court 15, third match
The newly-married Savilles, who are both 27 and live in Melbourne, are teaming up in an Australian Open mixed doubles competition for the fourth time and for the first time since 2017. Their previous best result is a second-round appearance in their 2015 debut. They face an accomplished team in the first round – 31-year-old Guarachi is ranked No.12 in doubles and 34-year-old Puetz is the world No.18.

Arina Rodionova (AUS)/Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove (NED) v [1] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)/Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Women’s doubles, first round, Court 16, third match
Rodionova is one of Australia’s top-ranked doubles players at world No.66 and is making her 11^th consecutive Australian Open appearance. The 32-year-old from Melbourne and Dutch partner Pattinama Kerkhove have been dealt the toughest draw possible. They meet Olympic gold medallists Krejcikova and Siniakova. The top-seeded Czech duo were AO 2021 finalists and won the Roland Garros and WTA Finals titles last year.

Matthew Ebden (AUS)/Max Purcell (AUS) v Jonathan Erlich (ISR)/Andre Goranssen (SWE)
Men’s doubles, first round, Kia Arena, fourth match
Ebden and Purcell teamed up for the first time at last year’s US Open, where they advanced to the quarterfinals. The Aussie pair, ranked No.55 and No.34 respectively, have impressive AO doubles records. The 34-year-old Ebden was a quarterfinalist last year, while 23-year-old Purcell reached the final in 2020. They face doubles specialists Erlich, a 44-year-old Israeli ranked No.64, and Goranssen, a 27-year-old Swede ranked No.62, in the opening round.

> VIEW: Australian Open 2022 men’s doubles draw

[WC] Dane Sweeny (AUS)/Li Tu (AUS) v [16] Andrey Golubev (KAZ)/Franko Skugor (CRO)
Men’s doubles, first round, Court 3, fourth match
Sweeny, a 20-year-old from Queensland, and Tu, a 25-year-old from South Australia, are competing in a Grand Slam doubles draw for the first time in their careers. The Aussie wildcards, who entered four ITF Futures events together last season, face the experienced No.16 seeds. Golubev is a 34-year-old from Kazakhstan, who is ranked No.27 and made the Roland Garros doubles final last year, while Skugor is a 34-year-old Croatian, who is a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist and ranked No.54. 

John Millman (AUS)/Mackenzie McDonald (USA) v Jonny O’Mara (GBR)/Andrei Vasilevski (BLR)
Men’s doubles, first round, Court 6, fourth match
Millman enjoyed a career-best run in last year’s Australian Open men’s doubles competition, advancing to the third round alongside Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro. The 32-year-old Aussie, who is making his ninth AO doubles appearance, is teaming up with 26-year-old American McDonald in 2022. They face O’Mara, a 26-year-old Brit ranked No.65, and Vasilevski, a 30-year-old Belarusian ranked No.79, in the opening round.

> VIEW: Full Australian Open 2022 day four schedule

Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!