During the first week of the year’s inaugural major, it’s fitting that youthful energy coursed through the 2025 Australian Open. The conventional wisdom is (was?) that the modern game is so physical that only fully mature tennis players are capable of success—no more. Player after player who require a fake ID to enter a saloon vaulted deeper in the draw and higher up the rankings … none more than Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian 18-year-old revelation, and Learner Tien, the 19-year-old Californian who beat last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev and then backed it up reaching the fourth round.
At the same time, the stalwarts are holding their ground. As we write this, the defending champions are still going strong. Novak Djokovic is still in the running for a record 25th career major and Carlos Alcaraz is still in the running for the title, which would complete his career slam at the ripe age of 21.
All of which means Week 2 is shaping up to be a ripper, as the Aussies would say. But as we make the turn in the tournament’s final stretch, here are your midterm grades from the 2025 Australian Open …
A
The defending champs: Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka both blast into the second week.
Gems life: The husband-wife combo of Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina both took out No. 4 seeds and advanced.
Next gen: What do Arthur Fils, Nish Basavareddy, Alex Michelsen, Jakub Menšík, Tien and mighty Fonseca have in common? Each left his heelprint on this event. And last month, each played in the Next Gen ATP Finals, which lived up to its name.
Coco and Djoko: If they are not the favorite, they are Favorite 1A—Coco Gauff based largely on form; Djokovic based largely on track record.
Iga Świątek: Into the fourth round, losing just three games in her past four matches.
Eva Lys: The German is the first women's singles lucky loser to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988.
American tonnage: For as much flack as the USTA gets—and as concerning as the 21-year men’s major drought might be to some—one must acknowledge the sheer volume of credible Americans. They just keep coming. Someone in player development must have done something right.
Heinz Kluetmeier: Rest easy, one of the great photographers to have shot this sport.
Tristan Boyer: A native of Altadena, Calif.—a community brutalized by the Los Angeles fires—Boyer qualified, won a match and acquitted himself well against Alex de Minaur.
John the fan: We defy you to watch this without smiling (and A+ effort from Alcaraz).
Lorenzo Sonego: Not only did he outlast Fonseca, but here it is, mid-January, how is this not the shot of the year? (And note the score at the time of execution.)
A-
The Brits: Jack Draper advanced to the fourth round before retiring during his match against Alcaraz due to injury. Emma Raducanu beat two credible players. Jacob Fearnley beat Nick Kyrgios and backed it up with a win over another showman. Katie Boulter, alas, failed to live up to her seeding. Andy Murray is undefeated as a coach. It was a good Week 1 for Old Blighty.
B+
Fonseca: He announced himself in grand fashion, beating Andrey Rublev with an explosive display of easy power. Then he dropped a winnable match in the second round. There will be plenty more impressive outings from the Brazilian teen.
Naomi Osaka: She won two tough matches, then retired in her third with an abdominal injury. There are some green shoots and some reasons for optimism. But she’s won four majors and advanced to her first third-round match at a major since 2022, again exiting in Week 1.
B
2025 ATP Comeback Player of the Year candidates: Kei Nishikori and Reilly Opelka won their opening matches. While both lost in the second round, they ought to be thrilled that their bodies held up.
Markéta Vondroušová: It’s a pity the oft-injured Wimbledon champion withdrew before her first-round match. But credit her for integrity. Plenty of compromised players have—and did last week—taken the court with no expectation of winning—to collect a check. She let a lucky loser play in her stead.
C
Five seeds: Zheng Qinwen, last year’s finalist (and Olympic gold medalist) fell in the second round to the pesky German veteran, Laura Siegemund. And Medvedev, last year’s finalist, learned a hard lesson from a teenager. (This after dropping two sets to a player outside the top 400 in his first match. At least he gave one of the better lines of Week 1.)
Casper Ruud: The No. 6 seed got hit off the court by 19-year-old Menšík. The good news? His ranking may actually go up after this event.
Sebastian Korda: He has so much talent, but when will the gifts coalesce? He lost in five sets to little-known Australian Aleksandar Vukic, a loss that made a mockery of those prognosticating great success.
Scheduling: We say it every major. A sporting event that ends at 3:00 a.m. local time resists being taken seriously.
Pam Shriver’s trophy thief: Really? During the fire evacuation and trauma? It’s hard to imagine what type of person would do this.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 Australian Open Midterm Grades: Defending Champs and Next Generation Earn Top Marks .