The Australians Come to Washington: Aleksander Vukic Into The Round of 16 at the Mubadala DC Open

By Chloe Wellington-Hunt

World No. 105 Aleksander Vukic Rolls Into Round of 16 at Mubadala DC Open

World No. 105 Aleksander Vukic rolls into the Round of 16 at the Mubadala DC Open, where he will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti—who is working his way back from an injury—skipped Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, making his comeback one of the most anticipated of the 2026 season.

World Tennis Magazine spoke exclusively with the Australian about his transition to the North American hard-court swing.

Vukic Cruises Past Svajda After Testing Bolt Clash

So far, Vukic has played three matches in Washington. Yesterday, he defeated American Zachary Svajda in a quick, painless 6-3, 6-1 match. (Svajda withdrew in his match against Cruz Hewitt, but returned as a lucky loser to play against Vukic.)

Before that, in his second qualifying match, Vukic defeated fellow Australian Alex Bolt in a decisive 6-0, 6-1 match.

As Vukic noted, his friend Bolt wasn’t close to his best game. Bolt appeared exhausted during certain parts of the match, avoiding running for down-the-line balls and tempering some of his big shots. “He wasn’t really healthy, so it’s tough to play a friend that’s lingering with something,” he said. “So yeah, [it] wasn’t an easy match.”

Washington Marks a Fresh Start for the Hard-Court Swing

For players like Vukic, Washington is more than just the start of the North American hard-court swing. It’s a chance to build momentum, gain ranking points, and continue climbing the ranks.

Even though his second qualifying match wasn’t a testament to either his or Bolt’s capabilities on the court, Vukic has proven to be one of Australia’s most reliable tour professionals. The 30-year-old Sydney native enjoyed a standout collegiate career at the University of Illinois before turning professional.

After reaching a career-high ranking of 48 in 2023, Vukic ended the 2025 season ranked at 87.

An Aggressive Baseliner Finding His Rhythm

Standing at 6-foot-2, Vukic relies heavily on firepower, dictating points from the baseline and striving to take away time from his opponents. As such, Washington marks an important moment for the player to see what he can do on hard courts as an aggressive player.

For Vukic, going into a Round of 16 match with a relatively fresh body makes a huge difference. Not only that, but Vukic spoke about Washington’s conditions giving him more confidence and rhythm.

“I mean, it’s again, it’s tough to say…but in general, the last few matches that I’ve played, I feel like I’ve served a lot better,” Vukic said. “I started to find a bit more rhythm on serve and with these conditions, it’s just giving me a lot more free points and allowing me to kind of swing out on return games and put more pressure that way.”

Vukic sees his game as coming together, piece by piece. “Yeah, slowly, slowly, it’s coming together,” he said, “and [I] just kind of need to keep building on that for the next matches and this week the rest of the week.”

Riding a Seven-Match Win Streak Into the Second Week

For Vukic, he’s rolled into the hard court season with renewed confidence. He dominated an ATP Challenger event in Granby, Canada, and appears optimistic about the rest of the swing.

“It’s been good so far. I’ve been, like, seven and 0 right now, so I’m enjoying it,” he smiled, speaking to World Tennis Magazine on Sunday after his qualifying match. “Let’s keep it going.”