Australian Open: Mensik escapes Carreno Busta in five-set thriller

The “NextGen” era has found its leading man in Jakub Mensik. The No. 16 seed, who arrived in Melbourne fresh off a title run in Auckland last week, was forced to dig into his deepest physical reserves to survive his opening-round encounter.

Facing the 34-year-old Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta – a two-time US Open semifinalist known for his relentless defensive wall – Mensik appeared to be fading after losing the second and third sets. However, the young Czech displayed a “ton of fight,” dismantling the veteran in a clinical 7-1 fourth-set tiebreak before steamrolling through the decider.

This victory continues a scorching run for Mensik, who is now on a five-match winning streak. After a transformative 2025, which saw him win his first Masters 1000 title in Miami by defeating his idol Novak Djokovic and reach the third round here in Melbourne, Mensik’s “2026 version” looks even more robust. Having struggled with consistency in long matches last year, his ability to outlast a grinder like Carreno Busta in a four-hour best-of-five format signals that the world No. 17 is ready for a deep second-week run.

Mensik now moves into the round of 64, where he awaits the winner of a generational clash between two qualifiers: Rei Sakamoto of Japan and Rafael Jodar of Spain