An imperious Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course for a historic third consecutive Australian Open crown on Sunday, while Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz can later set up a blockbuster quarter-final. The prize for the winner is a meeting with either Carlos Alcaraz or Britain's Jack Draper for a place in the semi-finals.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz picked up wins Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

MELBOURNE - Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set before muscling his way into the Australian Open last 16 on Jan 17 and edge closer to becoming the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam.

The two best men's players in the world are reconfiguring the sport before their opponents' eyes. They don't know what to do about it

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in Australia, stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the first set of her match against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic.

Coco Gauff moved into the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a straightforward victory over Leylah Fernandez.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz can set up a blockbuster quarter-final when the Australian Open enters the fourth round on Sunday

How Jack Draper's improvements in fitness and mind could be key to beating Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Australian Open last-16 tie.

Sabalenka cruises into the quarterfinals, while Djokovic and Alcaraz aim for a blockbuster battle in Melbourne.

Elsewhere, in the men's draw, American 12th seed Tommy Paul will take on Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while German second seed Alexander Zverev faces French 14th seed Ugo Humbert. The winners of these matches will advance to the semi-finals.