Top Seeds Punch Tickets To Australian Open Quarterfinals

Australian Open
Australian Open (photo: Tennis Australia/Fiona Hamilton)

MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 25, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

For the first time at a Grand Slam in the Open Era, there were no unseeded players reaching the men’s singles round of 16. In fact, going into Sunday’s play at the Australian Open, seven of the top eight remained, including No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Both were victorious on Middle Sunday at Melbourne Park and each won in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals.

On the women’s side, No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff both won to reach the quarterfinal round, and No. 29 seed Iva Jovic showed she is wise beyond her years – she’s just 18.

There were upsets in both the men’s and women’s draws: No. 25 Learner Tien mastered No. 11 Daniil Medvedev once again in Melbourne, while No. 12 Elina Svitolina showed why experience matters in eliminating No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva.

Alcaraz through to Melbourne last eight for third straight year

World No. 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain came into his match with No. 19 seed Tommy Paul of the United States aiming to reach his third consecutive AO quarterfinal-round appearance. He reached the round of 16 without dropping a set. However, the American Paul, a semifinalist here in 2023, could boast a pair of victories previously against Alcaraz, although the 22-year-old Spaniard was 2-0 against Paul in Grand Slams before Sunday afternoon’s encounter on Rod Laver Arena.

When all was said and done, it was Alcaraz who won – 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 44 minutes – to become the 14th man in the Open Era to reach three quarterfinals at all four major tournaments. By winning, Alcaraz kept his bid for a career Grand Slam on track.

“I think he came with a really strong start, really flat, and for me, it was difficult a little bit, but I stayed there all the time,” Alcaraz said. “I knew that I was going to have my chances and I tried take [them] during the first set.

“I think I did it. So, I think overall it’s been a really high level of tennis from both sides. But just really, really happy that I got it in straight sets.”

Alcaraz won 79 percent (52 of 66) of his first-serve points, struck 35 winners, converted three of 10 break points and outpointed Paul 109-94.

Next, Alcaraz will face No. 6 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, who was locked in as he defeated No. 10 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, in one hour and 32 minutes on Rod Laver Arena Sunday evening. It was the first loss this season for Bublik. As for de Minaur, he’s through to the AO quarterfinals for the second straight year.

De Minaur is bidding to become the first Australian men’s singles champion at Melbourne since Mark Edmondson in 1976. 

“Bublik is a hell of a player, he’s got so much firepower and I lost to him the last couple of times so I made sure I was ready to go from the first point till the last,” de Minaur said in his on-court interview.

“I was locked in. It was all about neutralizing his big groundstrokes and trying to get him on the move, and it all kind of worked perfectly today.”

The Sydneysider won 81 percent (30 of 37) of his first-serve points, hit 19 winners to only 10 unforced errors and converted six of 11 break points. He faced no break points from Bublik and outpointed him 89-54.

De Minaur said he looks forward to facing Alcaraz, whom he’s never beaten. “That’s going to be a big one,” he said. 

“I’m going to have to come here all guns blazing. I’m excited for a battle against Carlitos.”

Tien shows his maturity in beating Medvedev again

No. 25 seed Learner Tien of the United States took on Russian 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev in a rematch of the pair’s second-round battle from last year, in which the Next Gen ATP Finals champion withstood a comeback from the former World No. 1 and posted a five-set victory. He also defeated Medvedev at Beijing last October before the Russian finally got his first win at the Shanghai Masters. 

By beating Medvedev again, 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 – and handing him his first loss of the season – the 20-year-old Tien became the youngest men’s singles quarterfinalist at the AO since Nick Kyrgios in 2015 and the youngest American to reach a maiden men’s singles Grand Slam quarterfinal since Andy Roddick at the 2022 US Open.

Tien joins Roddick, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton as the fourth American man since 2000 to reach a major quarterfinal before the age of 21. He will face last year’s AO finalist and this year’s No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany on Tuesday.

“It feels amazing. It’s so special to do it, especially here, where it means so much to me to come back and play every year. This was a big goal for me, and I’m just super happy,” Tien said in his on-court interview at Margaret Court Arena.

“Every year since I’ve been coming here, the crowd support has been amazing. I don’t know why, honestly. It’s so special to come back and play in front of a crowd like this, with this much energy and support. It means the world to me to do it here.”

Tien, who hit 33 winners and made only 16 unforced errors, won 11 straight games from the end of the first set through to 4-0 in the third, including a bagel second set, which was the first time Medvedev had lost a 6-0 set at a Grand Slam in 451 sets. By comparison, Medvedev made just 15 winners while committing 30 unforced errors. Tien outpointed his opponent 91-62.

In his post-match news conference, Medvedev gave props to Tien. He said: “I was trying to figure out what can I do to kind of disturb his level that he had at this moment.

“He played great, super-aggressively. Even when I was making good shots, he was making a better shot back.

“Didn’t find many solutions today on the court, which is rare, and I didn’t feel that many times in my life like this … He had, like, an unbelievable match where everything went in.”

Meanwhile, Zverev was at his best in sweeping past No. 18 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, on John Cain Arena to reach the last eight at Melbourne for the fifth time. It’s also Zverev’s 16th time into a major quarterfinal.

“I’m very happy with the match; he’s a high-quality player [who] didn’t lose a set before this match here in this tournament,” Zverev, a three-time major finalist, said. “I’m really happy with the performance and really happy to be in the quarterfinals.”

Zverev, who won 79 percent (46 of 58) of his first-serve points, unleashed 35 winners and won 20 of 23 next exchanges. He converted five of eight break points and was broken just once. Zverev outpointed Cerundolo 96-73.

“To be in the quarterfinals, I think you have to be playing well,” Zverev said. “The last two sets two days ago [against Cameron Norrie] and today definitely was [a] high level. 

“Hopefully, I can play even better the next three matches. Hopefully.”

Sabalenka’s consistency lifts her into another major quarterfinal

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a finalist in each of the last three AOs, has shown that consistency is her big ally. As the 27-year-old Belarusian goes after her third Melbourne title in four years, she’s through to the quarterfinal round, again, after defeating No. 17 Victoria Mboko of Canada, 6-1, 7-6 (1), in one hour and 26 minutes on Rod Laver Arena Sunday afternoon. 

The top-seeded Sabalenka started strong, then recovered nicely after squandering a 4-1 lead in the second set. She was unable to convert any of three match points on her serve, ahead 5-4 in the second set, and finally put away the victory on her fifth match-point opportunity during the tie-break.

Sabalenka’s victory advanced her to her 13th-straight Grand Slam quarterfinal and 15th major quarterfinal overall. She’s now won 20 consecutive Grand Slam tiebreakers. Sabalenka struck 31 winners to 24 unforced errors, converted four of five break points and outpointed Mboko 75-56. She’s now 9-0 in 2026 and has won 24 of her last 25 matches at the Australian Open.

Afterward, during her on-court interview, Sabalenka gave props to the 19-year-old Canadian. “What an incredible player for such a young age,” she said of Mboko. “It’s incredible to see these kids coming on tour. I can’t believe I say that, I feel like I’m a kid still but whatever. … An incredible player. She pushed me really hard today. 

“I’m super happy with the win. She played incredible tennis. She pushed me so much. Happy to be through.”

Next, Sabalenka will face No. 29 seed Iva Jovic of the United States. The 18-year-old showed no mercy in taking out overmatched No. 94 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, 6-0, 6-1, in just 53 minutes on John Cain Arena – quickest match of the AO fortnight thus far – to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“I’m really glad to get through,” Jovic said during her on-court interview. “Obviously, the scoreline is favorable, but it doesn’t matter how you get it done. I just wanted to get it done, and I felt like if I let her come back a little bit, it would become a dog fight. So, I just tried to keep it as far away as possible and [I’m] just so happy to be in the finals.”

Jovic, who finished with 17 winners to just four for Putintseva, is the youngest player to reach the women’s singles quarterfinals at Melbourne without dropping a set since Venus Williams in 1998. She’s also the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2005 to reach the quarterfinals at all of her first three WTA Tour tournaments in a single calendar year.

Gauff puts on masterclass in beating Muchova

Two-time major champion Coco Gauff of the United States played like a woman on a mission Sunday on Margaret Court Arena.

In a minute shy of two hours, the No. 3 seed raced to a 5-0 opening set lead, then after a dip in her levels, recovered nicely in the final set to build a 4-1 lead. It all added up to a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory over No. 19 seed Karolina Muchova of Czechia.

Gauff is now 21-6 in three-set Grand Slam matches and 5-0 against Muchova lifetime.

“My history has been tough with my serve, but I thought today was great,” said Gauff, who put 68 percent of her first serves in play and hit just three double faults. “Maybe one service game in the second set [I was not], but after that I was pretty good. I’m really happy with must being able to close it out on my racquet.”

With the 21-year-old Gauff’s latest victory, in which she outpointed Muchova 84-71, she’s the youngest woman to reach three-consecutive Australian Open singles quarterfinals since Maria Sharapova made four quarterfinals between 2005-08.

Right now, confidence is running high for Gauff. “I think just trusting my shots,” she said. “I get a little passive, but overall, I think that in that last game, I was trusting my second serve, which I feel like is a stepping stone in the right direction to be able to hit as many second serves in the court that I did. 

“I think that’s the biggest thing is just trusting myself, knowing that I put in the work in practice and knowing that it’ll show up in the matches.”

Next for Gauff is No. 12 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who upset No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, in an hour and 23 minutes on Rod Laver Arena Sunday evening. Svitolina overcame 21 unforced errors to hit 16 winners and converted five of 10 break points. She weathered 21 winners from Andreeva and benefitted from 33 unforced errors by the 18-year-old Russian.

Svitolina is now 7-14 against Top-10 opponents. The Ukrainian, who is 9-0 this season – which includes  winning a recent title in Auckland – is through to her fourth AO quarterfinal round and 14th career Grand Slam last eight. Since making her Grand Slam debut in 2012, only Serena Williams (21), Simona Halep (16) and Aryna Sabalenka (15) have reached more women’s Grand Slam singles quarterfinals than Svitolina. 

Around the Australian Open

• Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has advanced to the quarterfinals by walkover after his fourth-round opponent, No. 16 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia, was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury.

“This is a tough one to write,” Mensik wrote on Instagram Sunday night. “After doing everything we could to keep going, I have to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury that has progressed over the last matches. 

“After a long discussion with my team and doctors, we decided not to step on court tomorrow.”

Mensik advanced to the fourth round after defeating American Ethan Quinn in the third round Saturday evening.

 

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“Even though I’m disappointed, making the fourth round here for the first time is something I will carry with me for a long time.

“I felt so much energy from the fans and the atmosphere in Melbourne was truly special. 

“Thank you to my team for being with me every step, and to everyone sending messages and cheering – it means more than you know. 

“Now it’s time to recover properly.”

Meanwhile, Djokovic is through to his 16th Australian Open quarterfinal round. The 38-year-old Serbian great will face the winner of Monday’s fourth-round match between Top-10 players Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who is seeded fifth, and No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz of the United States.

• Defending mixed doubles champions Olivia Gadecki and John Peers of Australia are through to the third round after defeating Laura Siegemund of Germany and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, 6-3, 3-6, 10-5, in one hours and 26 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.

Sunday’s Australian Open results

Monday’s Australian Open order of play

Men’s updated singles draw

Women’s updated singles draw

Quick hits

On Saturday, 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka put his right hand over his heart and raised his left hand in appreciation of the fans who have supported him for the past two decades at the Australian Open. The Swiss star with the majestic one-fisted backhand said goodbye to the tournament that has been close to his heart – and one in which he won the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup trophy in 2014, the first of his three career major titles.

Wawrinka lost to No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz of the United States, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in his final match at Melbourne Park, in two hours and 46 minutes.

“The atmosphere was again unbelievable,” said Wawrinka, who announced last month that 2026 would be his last season on the ATP Tour.

After a tribute video played on the John Cain Arena video big screen, Wawrinka hoisted a cold beer on court with AO tournament director Craig Tiley.

“All these years, guys, I saw you enjoying the tennis, I saw you being around, I saw you supporting us, I saw you drinking … and now I can enjoy,” Wawrinka said with laughter in his voice. 

It was a fitting send off for Stan the Man.

By the numbers

• While the American men placed four players – No. 8 seed Ben Shelton, No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz, No. 19 seed Tommy Paul and No. 25 seed Learner Tien into the round of 16, not far behind was Italy. The Italians placed a trio into the fourth round with No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner, No. 5 seed Lorenzo Musetti and No. 22 seed Luciano Darderi.

On the women’s side, there are five American women – No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, No. 4 seed Amanda Anismova, No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 29 seed Iva Jovic – in the round of 16. After Sunday’s play, Gauff and Jovic have already reached the quarterfinal round.

“Quotable …”

“Obviously [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner are the two best players in the world. They’re playing at a different level than all of us right now, but when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here on the court that has given me the most in my career.”

– Ten-time Australian Open champion and this year’s No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia, following his third-round victory over Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands Saturday on Rod Laver Arena.

 

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