Local boy Aleksander Vukic is crushing it at the 2025 Australian Open down under. On Wednesday, the World No.68 achieved his best run at the first Major of the season, making it to the third round. Playing against America’s Sebastian Korda, Vukic held his nerves and made a big upset by defeating the 22nd seed ATP pro. As he’s making his presence felt in the ongoing edition of the Major down under, it’s probably the best time to know more about him.

Aleksander Vukic was born in 1996, in Sydney, to Rad and Ljiljana Vukic. His parents initially lived in Montenegro but later emigrated to Australia in the 1990s. His father Rad and mother Ljiljana are both computer engineers by profession. Vukic has also got a brother, named Vlad, who’s six years older than him. Interestingly, Vlad used to play tennis casually in his younger days. Watching him play the racket sport, Aleksander began taking an interest in tennis as well. Prior to that, until the age of 13, he mostly liked playing football. But then he decided to take up tennis seriously.

In his initial days, before turning pro, Vukic played at the college level. He represented the University of Illinois for three years, from 2015 to 2018, and on three separate occasions, earned the All-American title, thanks to his brilliant on-court performances. He made his professional ATP debut at the age of 22 when he successfully qualified for the Sydney International. Later, he chose to merge his time on the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour and made his first Grand Slam appearance in the 2020 French Open. He had entered the main draw as a qualifier.

Coming to his current journey at the 2025 Australian Open, Vukic’s singles campaign is in full flow. After edging out Korda, he will now face Great Britain’s Jack Draper on Friday. The Aussie has also managed to clear the first round in the doubles category with his partner James Duckworth.

Aleksander Vukic enters the next round with James Duckworth at the 2025 Australian Open

Vukic and Duckworth stepped on the court, on Thursday, in their first-round doubles match. Playing against the 2022 Australian Open doubles champions Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Vukic and Duckworth earned a big lead as they took the first set 7-5. In the second set, too, the pair was leading by 3-2 when Kyrgios and Kokkinakis decided to withdraw due to their injury woes. While Kyrgios was suffering from a strained abdominal muscle, his partner had a problem in his right shoulder. As a result, Vukic and Duckworth entered the next round.

Coming back to his singles journey down under, Aleksander Vukic is extremely joyous after accomplishing his best run at the AO. He couldn’t resist sharing his emotions after winning against Korda on Wednesday. In a post-match interview, he said, “This was the most Melbourne day I’ve ever experienced in my life, I’m bloody freezing. That second set, when we went off, I thought that was maybe it for tonight. I’ve had a few good wins but that one in a grand slam, in a five-setter, is really nice. It’s so good to win in five sets. It’d be nice to win in three but winning in five in Australia — I’m tired but I’m pretty awake as well. So I’ll take it.”

To enter the QF round, he will now have to overcome the challenge of 16th seed Jack Draper on Friday. Who do you think will emerge victorious between them at the Margaret Court Arena? Let us know in the comments below.