The 114th edition of the Australian Open concluded in Melbourne after three weeks of competition, drawing a record 1.37 million attendees. Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first men's singles title, becoming the youngest male to complete a career Grand Slam. Elena Rybakina secured her first women's singles title. The tournament featured a total prize pool of $111.5 million and saw various players achieve milestones and advance through the draws.
Tournament Overview
The main draw of the Australian Open 2026 commenced on Sunday, January 18, with gates opening at 10 am AEDT for the morning session and 5 pm AEDT for the evening session. Matches were held across 39 courts at Melbourne Park, including Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena, and Margaret Court. The official draw took place on Thursday, January 15, at 2:30 pm AEDT.
The total prize pool for the event was $111.5 million, an increase from 2025. Singles champions each received $4.15 million, with runners-up taking home $2.15 million.
Broadcast Information
- Television coverage: Channel 9
- Streaming options: 9NOW and Stan Sport (access to all courts)
- Radio commentary: ABC Grandstand via the Listen app and abc.net.au/sport
- Digital coverage: ABC Sport digital offered live blogging
Reigning Champions (2025)
- Women's Singles: Madison Keys (USA), then ranked seventh, defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
- Men's Singles: Jannik Sinner (Italy), then world number two, defeated Alexander Zverev in three sets.
Key Players and Australian Contingent
Several top players participated, including world number ones Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka. Notable Australian players in the main draw included Alex de Minaur (World No. 6), Alexei Popyrin (World No. 49), and Maya Joint (World No. 32, seeded 30th). Other Australian players competed via wildcards or through qualifying rounds.
Prior to the tournament, players discussed their preparations and goals:
Jannik Sinner: Focused on a longer off-season, aiming to win the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz: Expressed a goal to win the Australian Open, the sole Grand Slam title he had not yet secured.
Aryna Sabalenka: Aimed to improve upon her 2025 singles final loss.
Stan Wawrinka: Participating in his final Australian Open, noted the high level of competition across generations.
Alex de Minaur: Marked his 10th main draw appearance and highlighted the competitive field.
Coco Gauff: Focused on the present in pursuit of a third Grand Slam title.
Early Rounds: Notable Matches and Advancements
The opening days of the tournament featured a series of matches across the various arenas.
Day 1 Highlights- Rod Laver Arena (Night Session): Aryna Sabalenka played French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. Carlos Alcaraz competed against Australia's Adam Walton.
- Rod Laver Arena (Day Session): Jasmine Paolini faced qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, followed by Alexander Zverev against Canadian Gabriel Diallo.
- Margaret Court Arena: Francisco Cerundolo played China's Zhizhen Zhang. Emma Raducanu and Alexander Bublik were also scheduled.
- John Cain Arena: Frances Tiafoe met Australian qualifier Jason Kubler, followed by Venus Williams against Serbia's Olga Danilovic.
Men's Singles:
- Stan Wawrinka, playing in his final year, advanced to the second round by defeating Laslo Djere and later to the third round by defeating Arthur Gea in a five-set match. Wawrinka became the first 40-year-old to reach this stage of a men's Grand Slam in 48 years.
- Novak Djokovic secured his 100th Australian Open victory and 398th Grand Slam match win by defeating Pedro Martinez, and later Francesco Maestrelli.
- Jannik Sinner defeated James Duckworth.
- Carlos Alcaraz defeated Yannick Hanfmann.
- Alex de Minaur defeated Mackenzie McDonald and later Hamad Medjedovic.
- Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev also advanced.
- Learner Tien, ranked No. 29, advanced to the third round after defeating Alexander Shevchenko.
Women's Singles:
- Iga Swiatek defeated Yuan Yue and Marie Bouzkova.
- Coco Gauff defeated Kamilla Rakhimova and Olga Danilovic.
- Aryna Sabalenka moved to the third round with a win over Zhuoxuan Bai.
- Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula advanced in straight sets.
- Mirra Andreeva defeated Donna Vekic and Maria Sakkari.
- Victoria Mboko won her debut match against Emerson Jones and later against Caty McNally.
- Emma Raducanu was eliminated by Anastasia Potapova.
- Belinda Bencic, tenth seed, was eliminated by 19-year-old qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.
Middle Rounds: Advancements to the Fourth Round
Players continued to advance through the draw, with some notable upsets and resilient performances.
Women's Singles:
- Victoria Mboko, seeded 17th, defeated 14th seed Clara Tauson to reach her first Grand Slam fourth round, setting up a match with Aryna Sabalenka.
- Aryna Sabalenka secured her spot in the fourth round by defeating Anastasia Potapova in two tiebreak sets.
- Iva Jovic defeated seventh seed Jasmine Paolini to achieve her first top 10 win, advancing to face Yulia Putintseva.
- Yulia Putintseva advanced after defeating Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez.
- Karolina Muchova defeated Magda Linette, setting up a match with Coco Gauff.
- Coco Gauff advanced after beating Hailey Baptiste.
- Elina Svitolina remained undefeated in 2026, securing her eighth win of the season by defeating Diana Shnaider. She was set to play Mirra Andreeva, who reached the AO fourth round for a third time.
Men's Singles:
- Daniil Medvedev recovered from two sets down to defeat Fabian Marozsan, reaching the fourth round.
- Learner Tien advanced after defeating Daniil Medvedev.
Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals saw several top seeds and rising players compete for a spot in the semifinals.
Women's Singles:
- Iva Jovic defeated Yulia Putintseva and was scheduled to face Aryna Sabalenka.
- Coco Gauff defeated Karolina Muchova, setting up a match against Elina Svitolina.
- Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time champion, defeated Victoria Mboko 6-1, 7-6(1).
- Elina Svitolina defeated Mirra Andreeva.
Men's Singles:
- Learner Tien, at 20 years old, became the youngest American male to reach a major quarterfinal since Andy Roddick in 2001. He was scheduled to play Alexander Zverev.
- Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul, setting up a match with Alex de Minaur.
- Alex de Minaur progressed after defeating Alexander Bublik.
- Novak Djokovic advanced to his 16th Australian Open quarterfinal due to Jakub Mensik's withdrawal and was set to play Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz.
- Lorenzo Musetti, the fifth seed, retired due to injury during his quarterfinal match against Djokovic.
Semifinals
- Men's Singles: Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner was defeated by Novak Djokovic in five sets. Alexander Zverev lost to Carlos Alcaraz in what was noted as the longest Australian Open semifinal.
- Women's Singles: Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals, defeating Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva along the way.
Finals: Singles Champions
The tournament culminated in the men's and women's singles finals at Rod Laver Arena.
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Women's Singles Final (Saturday, January 31): Elena Rybakina won her first Australian Open women's singles title, becoming the first Kazakhstani player to do so. The fifth seed defeated Aryna Sabalenka, who was a finalist for the second consecutive year.
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Men's Singles Final (Sunday, February 1): Carlos Alcaraz secured his first Australian Open men's singles title. At 22, he became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam and the first to achieve this feat in Melbourne. Alcaraz, the world No.1, defeated 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in four sets, marking Djokovic's first loss in an Australian Open final.
Records and Milestones
- Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest male to complete a career Grand Slam.
- Elena Rybakina became the first Kazakhstani player to win the Australian Open women's singles title.
- Stan Wawrinka, at 40, reached the third round of a men's Grand Slam for the first time in 48 years.
- Learner Tien became the youngest American male to reach a major quarterfinal since 2001.
- Iva Jovic, at 18, became the youngest player in the WTA top 100 and achieved her first top 10 win.
- Aryna Sabalenka recorded her 20th consecutive winning tiebreak at a Grand Slam during her quarterfinal match.
- Qualifier Zeynep Sonmez became the first Turkish player to reach the Australian Open third round.
Doubles and Junior Champions
- Women's Doubles: Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang
- Men's Doubles: Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski
- Mixed Doubles: Australian wildcards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to defend their title since 1989.
- Junior Girls' Singles: Ksenia Efremova (France)
- Junior Boys' Singles: Ziga Sesko (Slovenia)
Wheelchair Champions
- Men's Quad Wheelchair Singles: Niels Vink, 23, completed a career Grand Slam.
- Men's Wheelchair Singles: Japan's Tokito Oda, 19, became the youngest man to concurrently hold all four Grand Slam titles across any professional tennis format.
- Women's Wheelchair Singles: Xiaohui Li won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Diede de Groot.