Five Challenger players to watch in Melbourne

ATPTour.com lists five ATP Challenger Tour stars to keep your eyes on at the Australian Open.

Arthur Cazaux
The Frenchman started the year the best way possible, claiming an ATP Challenger Tour 100 title in Noumea. At No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Cazaux has earned three Challenger titles in his young career and now looks for his first major main-draw win in his fourth attempt. Cazaux is making his Australian Open debut.

This year is not the first time the 21-year-old has started a season on a hot streak. In 2023, Cazaux embarked on a 13-match winning streak at the Challenger level with a title run in Thailand to open the season. Now, the wild card Cazaux is aiming to maintain his early-season form to capture the biggest win of his career. The Montpellier native opens against World No. 33 Laslo Djere.

Jakub Mensik
The Czech teen Mensik was the youngest ATP Challenger Tour champion of 2023 (17 years, eight months) when he triumphed at his home tournament, the Prague Challenger. Mensik joined elite company as one of four 17-year-old Challenger titlists in the past five years: Jannik Sinner (2019), Carlos Alcaraz (2020), Shang Juncheng (2022).

The Prostejov native, who reached the third round of the US Open, advanced through qualifying this past week and will make his Australian Open debut against Denis Shapovalov. Mensik has tasted junior success in Melbourne, finishing runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open boys’ singles event.

Aleksandar Kovacevic
The American was one of five players to collect four or more Challenger titles last season, lifting the trophy in Cleveland, Waco, Shenzhen and Temuco. The former University of Illinois star has built upon his momentum by qualifying for the season’s first major and in the opening round will meet ASB Classic champion Alejandro Tabilo, who also captured four Challenger titles in 2023. World No. 103 Kovacevic could leave Melbourne with a double prize: a maiden major main-draw victory and a Top 100 debut.

Shintaro Mochizuki
Exactly one year ago, Japan’s Mochizuki was the No. 323 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But a standout season in which he earned his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Barletta and reached the semi-finals of the ATP 250 event in Tokyo has brought the 20-year-old inside the Top 150. The 2019 Wimbledon boys' singles champion Mochizuki, who is in the main draw as a lucky loser, will start against Czech Tomas Machac.

Jesper de Jong
The 23-year-old Dutchman boasted a 28-13 match record on the ATP Challenger Tour last season and won the 100 event in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland. Making his major debut, de Jong advanced through Australian Open qualifying, in which he survived Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the final round after three hours, 18 minutes. De Jong will face another Argentine in the opening round, World No. 72 Pedro Cachin.