In Shang Juncheng, Carlos Alcaraz faces an opponent younger than him for the first time

Jelena Ostapenko vs. Victoria Azarenka

• second on Margaret Court Arena (day)

Drama, grit, emotion, facial expressions: If you like these things—and what sports fan doesn’t?—Margaret Court Arena will be the place for you on Saturday afternoon. Ostapenko and Azarenka will give us all of the above in abundance as they try to out-slug and out-tough each other. The numbers say this match should be competitive, too. Ostapenko is eight years younger and ranked 12 spots higher at the moment, but Azarenka has won all three of their previous matches, including a quarterfinal in Brisbane two weeks ago that ended 7-5 in the third set. Ostapenko, champion last week in Adelaide and conquerer of Iga Swiatek at the US Open in 2023, is in better overall form. Can she take the next logical career step and record her first win over Azarenka? Winner: Ostapenko

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Shang Juncheng

• second on Rod Laver Arena (day)

Granted, a match between No. 2 and No. 140 has the potential to be a blowout. Especially when No. 140 is an 18-year-old who isn’t even 6 feet tall. But it should be interesting to watch the 20-year-old Alcaraz go up against someone younger than him for once. The Spaniard was tested by Lorenzo Sonego in his last match, and we know he’s more than capable of letting just about any opponent back into a match (before finishing him off in the end). Shang, a flashy, feisty, lefty shotmaker who works with Kei Nishikori’s old coach, Dante Bottini, should make his probable defeat an entertaining one. Winner: Alcaraz

Daniil Medvedev vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime

• First on Margaret Court Arena (night)

Are perfect records made to be broken?

The fans with night tickets in Margaret Court Arena will get a look at a Laver-level match on Saturday. Two years ago Down Under, when they met in a quarterfinal, Medvedev came from two sets down to steal the match from under Auger-Aliassime’s nose. This year, the rematch will be a third-round contest–primarily because the Canadian’s ranking has slipped into the low 20s due to injury and a prolonged slump. That drop doesn’t bode well for Auger-Aliassime, and neither does his record against Medvedev. He’s 0-6, and his last two defeats were in straight sets. But all hope should not be lost north of the border, for three reasons. (1) Medvedev is coming off a five-set roller-coaster that ended close to 4:00 a.m. on Friday; (2) Auger-Aliassime seems determined to prove that he’s a Top 10 player again in 2024; and (3) As of last fall, Medvedev was 6-0 against Jannik Sinner; now he’s 6-3. Winner: Medvedev

Alex Michelsen vs. Alexander Zverev

• Second on Rod Laver Arena (night)

Emma Navarro vs. Dayana Yastremska

• First on John Cain Arena

Neither of these may be buzzworthy matchups to the tennis world at large, but they should be of interest to American fans. The U.S. has taken a couple of lumps so far Down Under, with Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe being sent home early. But Navarro and Michelsen are here to show that the nation’s tennis pipeline hasn’t run dry just yet. Michelsen is a 19-year-old California native who may put you in mind of a not-quite-as-towering Reilly Opelka (he’s only 6-foot-4), and who recorded a good win over Jiri Lehecka in his last match. Hopefully he’s ready for prime time, because he takes on Zverev in the night session in Laver. Navarro is a 22-year-old South Carolinian who won an NCAA singles title at UVA, and who has turned up in 2024 looking vastly improved. She won her first WTA event, in Hobart, last week, and is now in her first Grand Slam round of 32. She’s playing in a much more convenient time slot for the folks back home, first up in John Cain. Both Navarro and Michelsen are a watch now and in the future. Winners: Zverev, Navarro