Preview: Australian Open: Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Taylor Fritz - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Fresh off his titanic four-hour, 33-minute marathon against Arthur Gea, Stanislas Wawrinka faces world No. 9 Taylor Fritz in search of a spot in the Australian Open fourth round.

After the 40-year-old's remarkable comeback win in the longest match of this year's tournament, it will be interesting to see if the veteran has any energy left in the tank as he prepares for a third-round matchup against the former United States No. 1.

Match preview

Stan Wawrinka had not progressed beyond the first round at Melbourne Park in five years leading up to the 2026 tournament, missing the Aussie Open in 2022 and eliminated in the first round by Alex Molcan in 2023, Adrian Mannarino in 2024 and Lorenzo Sonego in 2025.

The worst was feared when the veteran fell behind in his tournament-opening match with Laslo Djere; however, the 40-year-old rallied to win sets two, three and four to claim round one in three hours and 20 minutes.

On Thursday, Stanimal went one better, demonstrating the battling qualities that lifted him to Grand Slam glory on three occasions, including Down Under in 2014, twice fighting from a set down to level proceedings before taking the fifth at the expense of French qualifier Arthur Gea — a player 19 years his junior — whose cramping just before the 10-point tiebreak at the end was to the former world No. 3's advantage.

Playing his 49th fifth-set match at a Slam — surpassing Roger Federer's 48 — was not enough; the Swiss veteran then became the oldest player (40 years, 296 days) since 1987 to secure multiple victories at the same Major.

In his swansong year, Stan the Man is undeniably giving supporters a show, and another thrilling showdown is anticipated against Fritz.

The American No. 2 entered the first Slam of 2026 in subpar form after losing three of four matches at the United Cup, but he has since claimed two wins on the trot at Melbourne Park.

After requiring three hours to get past a tricky Valentin Royer, the 28-year-old then dispatched Vit Kopriva in straight sets in under two hours to reach the third round in Melbourne for the seventh time in his last eight appearances, only exiting early in 2023.

Having entered this year's tournament with a 16-9 career record at the Aussie Open, the 2024 quarter-finalist has now improved to 18-9 Down Under and aims to record a 19th victory at Wawrinka's expense.

The former world No. 4, however, will need to be far more clinical on break-point opportunities than in his tournament opener against Royer, against whom he converted six of 21 chances, before showing a more efficient side to punish Kopriva in Thursday's second round.

That level of execution may be crucial to get the better of a tired but motivated Wawrinka, who heads into Saturday with a 45-18 record at this tournament and seeks to make it into the second week of his final Australian adventure at Fritz's expense.

Tournament so far

Stan Wawrinka:

First round: vs. Laslo Djere 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-6(4)

Second round: vs. Arthur Gea 4-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 7-6[10-3]

Taylor Fritz:

First round: vs. Valentin Royer 7-6(5) 5-7 6-1 6-3

Second round: vs. Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-4 7-6(4)

Head To Head

Monte-Carlo Masters (2023) - Round of 32: Fritz 7-6(10) 6-2

Tokyo (2018) - Round of 32: Wawrinka 6-3 6-4

Wimbledon (2016) - Round of 128: Wawrinka 7-6(4) 6-1 6-7(2) 6-4

Both men face off for the fourth time on the ATP Tour, with Wawrinka leading 2-1 after three contests.

Although the Swiss player’s victories occurred in 2016 and 2018 — at ages 31 and 33 — Fritz won their latest match at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2023.

Saturday’s match will be their first meeting on outdoor hard courts, following their previous indoor encounter in Tokyo seven years ago.

Wawrinka also secured the pair's only Grand Slam meeting, albeit nine years ago, defeating Fritz in a thrilling first-round four-setter.

We say: Fritz to win in four sets

Despite his efforts, this may be the end of the road for Wawrinka in Australia.

After spending three hours and 20 minutes on the court in the first round, the Swiss veteran's subsequent four-hour, 33-minute match might be too much for the 40-year-old to handle.

As a result, Fritz should take advantage of any physical limitations or accumulated fatigue to defeat the 2014 champion and secure a spot in the last 16.