Week One Review

Best Match

The early rounds of this year's tournament produced a number of thrillers, including the three-set battle between 45-year-old wild card Venus Williams (now the oldest woman ever to compete in the Australian Open draw) and Olga Danilovic.

Their encounter was full of tension, particularly during a 14-minute game at 4-4 in the third set, with Danilovic ultimately recovering from 4-0 down in the decider to come through 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

But the standout match involved another wild card in their forties: Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss, in his final season before retiring, was one of the stories of the first week, rolling back the years to become the oldest man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since Ken Rosewall at the 1978 Australian Open.

And he did it the hard way too, overcoming French qualifier Arthur Gea 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in an epic, seesawing match, with an 82-minute final set decided on a match tie-break.

Having won this tournament 12 years ago, it was entirely fitting that Wawrinka, and his wondrous single-handed backhand, had one more great moment in Melbourne.

Best Performance

"He played too good for me today. He had the match, probably, of his life." So said Daniil Medvedev of Learner Tien, the 20-year-old American who produced a tennis masterclass to oust the No.11 seed 6-4, 6-0, 6-3.

Last year, Tien overcame Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(7) in a four-hour and 49 minute epic which finished at 2.55am in Melbourne.

So fans could have been forgiven for anticipating another marathon in the rematch, but Tien's relentlessly consistent groundstrokes and ability to pull opponents around the court with sharp angles proved too much for Medvedev.

The US is still waiting for its first men's Grand Slam singles champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. On this basis, Tien might be one of their best hopes.

Biggest Upset

While major shocks have been thin on the Australian ground, British qualifier Arthur Fery did stun an ailing Flavio Cobolli, the No.20 seed, in the first round, while No.7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire with cramps against Portugal's Nuno Borges.

But it was Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez who produced the biggest upset so far, with the world No.112 ousting No.11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to become the first Turkish woman to win a singles match at the Australian Open in the Open era.

Breakout Performer

Little was made of Iva Jovic, the 18-year-old American born to Serbian and Croatian parents, reaching the semi-final and final at her first two tournaments of 2026, in Auckland and Hobart respectively.

In hindsight, it was a marker of what was to come, with Jovic now blasting her way into a first Grand Slam quarter-final without dropping a set, beating No.7 seed Jasmine Paolini and dismantling Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 along the way.

Jovic has shot up the ranks over the past 12 months, going from world No.191 at the 2025 Australian Open to No.29 seed this year. Boasting significant power on her groundstrokes, Jovic looks set to be a threat for a long time to come. Up next? A showdown with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka...

Best Shot

The tournament was less than a day old when Maria Sakkari pulled off this round-the-net, sliced forehand return that curved perfectly back into court for a winner.

Where did it rank among all the shots in her career? "Top one, for sure!"

And on the subject of bending returns...Valentin Vacherot produced his own 'boomerang' shot which was as remarkable as it was unorthodox.

He may not have won the point, but this piece of sorcery will live long in the memory...

Best Outfit

There can only be one winner here...Naomi Osaka was the talk of the tennis - and fashion - worlds as she stepped out onto Rod Laver Arena in a bespoke, green and white dress that was "modelled after a jellyfish" and accompanied by an umbrella, hat and veil. 

Unfortunately, fans only got to see the outfit twice as Osaka withdrew with injury in the third round, although her opening wins were further evidence that she is recovering her previous form.

Week Two Preview

Sometimes known as the 'Happy Slam', this year's Australian Open has been just that for the leading players. For the first time at a Grand Slam in the Open era, the top six seeds in the men's and women's draws have all reached the quarter-finals.

All of which means there are blockbuster encounters everywhere you look.

No.1 seed Sabalenka has reached the Australian Open final in each of the past three years, but to make it four in a row she will first have to navigate the challenge posed by Jovic, who leads the tour for matches won this year with 11.

Should Sabalenka prevail, either Coco Gauff or Elina Svitolina will await her in the semi-finals. Gauff looks to have ironed out some of her serving issues and her win over No.19 seed Karolina Muchova was a statement, while Svitolina - perhaps the best active female player yet to win a Grand Slam - is now undefeated in nine matches this year, having won the tournament in Auckland before the Australian Open began, and will take some stopping.

The other side of the draw features an all-American quarter-final between Jessica Pegula, who ended Madison Keys’ title defence in the fourth round, and Amanda Anisimova, the 2025 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up. Like Svitolina, both are vying for their first Grand Slam singles title.

The winner of that match is guaranteed to face a Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals, as Iga Swiatek takes on the resurgent Elena Rybakina in what promises to be a compelling encounter. Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam with victory in Melbourne. The Pole holds a slim, 6-5 lead in the pair’s head-to-head, but Rybakina, the 2023 Wimbledon champion who is back in a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time since 2024, poses a serious threat to whoever she plays due to her power and booming serve.

On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz - who has looked as impressive as ever in his bid to win the one Grand Slam title that has so far eluded him - will take on the home hope of Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals. The Australian’s court coverage and consistency demands a high level from his opponents, but Alcaraz has won all five of their meetings.

If the Spaniard makes it six from six, his semi-final opponent will be one of Alexander Zverev or Tien. Zverev, last year’s runner-up, was open about his on and off court struggles at the back end of last season, but looks to be approaching something resembling his best form and is looking to add more variety to his game as he searches for a first Grand Slam title. He will certainly need to mix things up against Tien’s quality from the baseline; these two played each other twice last year, with one win apiece, and this meeting promises to be a fascinating one.

On the other side of the men’s draw, the big question is: will this be Novak Djokovic’s best chance to win a 25th Grand Slam title? The Serbian made it to the semi-finals of each Grand Slam last year but no further, often dealing with physical issues - entirely unsurprising given his age - before attempting to beat one or both of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Here, he finds himself in the quarter-finals with three impressive - and crucially, quick - straight-sets victories to his name, and a walkover after Jakub Mensik withdrew from the tournament.

The 38-year-old will therefore be well rested and fresh for the challenge of Lorenzo Musetti, who put in a dominant display to beat Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. Musetti says every match against Djokovic “is a lesson”, and has beaten him just once in 10 attempts, but pushed Djokovic hard in their most recent meeting in Athens and is in the form to do so again.

The chances are that the victor will face Sinner in the semi-finals, who has not lost in Melbourne since 2023. The Italian did surprisingly suffer a wobble against American Eliot Spizzirri in the third round, going down a set and a break while ailing in the intense heat before recovering.

Sinner will face another American next in the form of Ben Shelton, who is developing into a consistent presence at the business end of Grand Slam tournaments and is improving all the time. Shelton did win the first match between him and Sinner, but has lost the following seven without winning a set, so will need to be at his very best to eliminate the defending champion.