Three to See, Day 3: Frances Tiafoe vs. Shang Juncheng could be as colorful and high energy as the American’s clothes

The Break: Rinky Hijikata, Shang Juncheng and the rising stars in Melbourne

Coco Gauff vs. Emma Raducanu

Are the Brit and the American really just 20 and 18, respectively? It feels like they’ve been famous for a decade.

So far they’ve taken different paths to their notoriety. Raducanu’s came all at once, with her meteoric trip out of the qualies and all the way through the main draw at the 2021 US Open. After that, she drifted back to Earth and is currently ranked 77th. Gauff also made a sudden splash, as a 15-year-old Wimbledon in 2019. But she has steadily risen from there—she’s made a Slam final, at Roland Garros, and reached the Top 10, but hasn’t hit her ceiling just yet.

Their first meeting will be the highest-profile contest of the second round. Tennis, and especially the WTA, would love nothing more than for these two popular players to form a long-lasting rivalry. That could come to pass; there’s certainly time. For now though, Gauff is a solid favorite. She’s 6-0 in matches, and 12-0 in sets, to start the year, and her mix of speed, consistency and backhand power makes her tough for all but her strongest opponents to beat. Raducanu does have the shots to do it; if anything, her ground strokes are more lethal than Gauff’s when she’s playing with confidence. But if Raducanu is the smoother hitter, Gauff is the better match player. Winner: Gauff

Frances Tiafoe vs. Shang Juncheng

Tiafoe and Shang delivered two of the most eye-popping surprises of the first day.

Shang, 17, became the first Chinese man in the Open era to win a match in an Australian Open main draw—incredible but true. Tiafoe’s thunderbolt wasn’t quite as historic, but it was memorable: He gave us the fashion statement of the first round, showing up in a runner’s-style singlet and fitted shorts, both covered in bright, swirly, painterly colors. As Gauff said, “It’s loud, just like Foe.”

The first meeting between Shang and Tiafoe could be as colorful and high energy as the American’s clothes. The teenager, a lefty who came out of qualifying, is a shade under six feet, but he has strong legs and a live arm, and he can run around and knock off inside-out forehands all day. His serve has also become a weapon, and he recorded a respectable first-round win over Oscar Otte.

But at 24, Tiafoe is a step or three ahead of Shang in the career-development department. He’s become a regular in the mid-to-later stages of the Slams, and is playing with power and speed that few opponents outside the elite can match. That will likely include Shang. Winner: Tiafoe

Danielle Collins vs. Karolina Muchova

Game-wise and demeanor-wise, Collins and Muchova represent the opposite poles of tennis. The American is as unapologetically fiery and vocal as any player, and her specialty is belting the ball as hard as she can. When she connects, her backhand crosscourt may be the most unreturnable shot in the game. The Czech, by contrast, exudes calm and thoughtfulness, and her best attributes are her soft hands and variety of shotmaking skills.

The two do have one thing in common: Each has achieved her greatest Grand Slam success on these courts. Muchova made the semis in Melbourne in 2021, and Collins made the final in 2022. What will be the key when they put their very different styles up against each other for the first time? The result will lie mostly on Collins’ racquet. Are her missiles landing in the corner for winners, or flying long and wide? Muchova has the ability to disrupt Collins’ rhythm and put her in positions to miss. But Collins has the ability to take the racquet out of Muchova’s hands entirely. The American’s hard-fought win in the first round should give her some confidence in the clutch. Winner: Collins