Five Dark Horses in Men's Singles at Australian Open 2023

These players have the chance to win their first Grand Slam.

The first Grand Slam of the 2023 ATP calendar has finally begun with most of the stars of the tennis constellation avoiding any mishaps. However, its rich and illustrious history is embedded with instances of a star crashing into the ground in the hands of a 'minnow', if such a word does exist in the world of sport. Someone like John Marks, etching their name in the book of time, someone who defied all odds evidently and gave us reasons to fall in love with the sport over and over again. 

The last moment withdrawal of Nick Kyrgios, a regular dark horse at this stage, due to an injury, has raised the question, who are the dark horses in this year's Australian Open? 

5. Sebastian Korda

The 22-year-old American is one of the bright talents of the future and he has shown on multiple occasions why he is slowly but surely becoming a household name. 

After going through the first round against his Chilean opponent in five sets, Korda will be facing Japanese Watanuki in round 2 of the Grand Slam. Sebi, son of former grand slam winner Peter Korda, is currently ranked 31 according to the ATP ranking chart but it would be highly risky to take his 6'5" tall lanky frame.

4. Frances Tiafoe

The 24-year-old continued his form this year, clinching five consecutive matches at the United Cup. He triumphed over Daniel Evans, Oscar Otte, Kacper Zuk and Lorenzo Musetti while he played for the USA. After the Delray Beach Open wins in 2018 he is on a spree to reach the end of the Australian Open in 2023.

Though he was slow to unleash in the last year, he picked up momentum in the last few months. His best performances include reaching the semi-finals of the US Open, quarterfinals of the Rolex Paris Masters and finals at the Tokyo Open where he was defeated by Taylor Fritz.

Tiafoe managed a hard-fought win against 92-ranked German, Daniel Altmaier and is in line to face Shang Juncheng, ranked 187. It is expected that Tiafoe would upset a few fans in the coming days of the tournaments. 

3. Holger Rune

The 19-year-old Danish sensation has secured the eighth position alongside Andrey Rublev in the ATP. He is yet to win at the Australian Open and will play in Melbourne for the second time. He got overpowered by Soo Woo Kwon in a five-set tie during the last match in 2021 in the first round.

Reaching four finals in his last four ATP events, Rune showed his best form by capturing maiden titles at the Stockholm Open and the Rolex Paris Masters and becoming runner-up at the Sofia Open and the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Also, After winning against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic, Rune is keen to start this year on a positive note having higher momentum helping him to start well at the 2023 Australian Open.

Rune has already beaten the nine-time Australian Open winner Djokovic a couple of months back in Paris Master's and if given the opportunity, Rune wouldn't mind repeating his feat.

2. Cameron Norrie

The Brit has been consistent in the last year at the ATP by bagging 49 wins from 75 matches and with title-winning runs at the Delray Beach Open and the Lyon Open. The 27-year-old has also finished second at the Mexico Open in February and the Los Cabos Open in August. Norrie expressed his game to the fullest by reaching the Grand Slam semi-final in Wimbledon for the first time but failed to pass Novak Djokovic in the last tour.

Norrie became a threat in Melbourne to his opponents and critics after he kicked off with three wins against Taylor Fritz, Alex De Minaur and Rafael Nadal last year.

Also, after beating Luca Van Assche, Norrie is going to face Constant Lestienne and he is expected to run deep in the tournament. 

1. Taylor Fritz 

Extracting 46 wins from 67 matches, Fritz had a fantastic season in the last year winning titles at the Indian Wells Masters, Tokyo Open, and the Eastbourne International.  

The 27-year-old started the year on a high by winning four matches at the United Cup, thus touring the USA team to victory where his opponents were Jiri Lehecka, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini. 

With a success rate above 60%, the American is predicted to make an eye-catching impact at Melbourne this year after having reached the semi-finals of the ATP in Turin.

Fritz will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round and is expected to against showcase a dominant display.