ATP rank no. 11 Alex De Minaur moves from one young sensation to another after seeing off China's Yunchaokete Bu 6-4 6-4 without conceding a single break point on his own serve.
He'll go up against Brazilian teenage prodigy João Fonseca, who eliminated 19 seed Ugo Humbert 6-4 6-3 in the Round of 32, in the final match of the Monday night program which means east coast fans could have the opportunity to spend their lunch break tracking his progress.
After he got past the 28 seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Jordan Thompson has to tackle the challenge that he would have been preparing for since being inserted into the top section of the draw: he'll face off against number one seed Alexander Zverev, albeit with a 2-2 head-to-head record, all on hard court surfaces, that includes a win in Mexico this time last year. Coincidentally, the two players share the same birthday (April 20)!
Rank no. 89 Adam Walton is a strong favourite to get past no. 182 Coleman Wong after hitting his strides in the first week of the tournament. Walton was one of two 'Lucky Losers' to get through to the third round, having lost to compatriot Tristan Schoolkate during the qualification rounds. Incidentally, Schoolkate fell in the second round to 18 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, thwarting his bid for a top-100 ranking in 2025.
In a sad turn of events, two days after his first ATP tour win in more than two years, Nick Kyrgios was swept aside by rank no. 23 Karen Khachanov, getting bagelled in the second set after complaining of a right shoulder injury and playing out the set without competing.
Kyrgios told his followers that he has no intention of stepping down in intensity despite the setback.
In the men's doubles, Aussie veterans Matt Ebden and John Peers are through to the second round of the competition and are up against number one seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, who are in stellar form after lifting the crown at Indian Wells earlier this month.