Australian Open 2026: Jannik Sinner, Madison Keys Begin Title Defence in Melbourne
Jannik Sinner will begin his bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title on Tuesday, while Madison Keys will also start her title defense in Melbourne. On Day 3 of the year’s first Grand Slam, two-time former champion Naomi Osaka will be in action as well, along with highly rated Brazilian teenager João Fonseca.
Sinner had comfortably beaten Alexander Zverev in last year’s final. If he wins the tournament again, he will become only the second player in the Open Era—after Novak Djokovic—to lift three consecutive Melbourne titles.
The Italian second seed will face French world No. 93 Hugo Gaston in the opening match of the night session on Rod Laver Arena.
The biggest threat to Sinner’s dominance at the Australian Open is top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who is aiming to win the tournament for the first time and complete a career Grand Slam by capturing all four majors at just 22 years of age. The Spaniard cruised through his opening match in straight sets on Sunday.
After losing to his biggest rival, Alcaraz, in the US Open final, the 24-year-old Sinner had promised to add more variety to his game. “We worked a lot on transitioning to the net. We also changed a few things on the serve,” he said.
“When you’re at the top level, these small details make all the difference.”
Also in first-round action on Tuesday are Italy’s fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti, all-action eighth seed Ben Shelton, and fellow American and ninth seed Taylor Fritz.
There will be plenty of interest in 19-year-old Fonseca, about whom Roger Federer said on the eve of the tournament that he could one day challenge the Alcaraz-Sinner duo. Fonseca will face the 28th seed and fellow American Eliot Spizzirri.
Keys had stunned world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s final 12 months ago, but the American struggled to maintain that form and did not win another event throughout the year.
The ninth seed in Melbourne was knocked out in the quarter-finals of both her warm-up tournaments—first by Sabalenka and then by 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
At 30, Keys is trying to embrace the extra pressure that comes with being the defending champion.
“I’m really trying to lean into it and feel it,” said Keys, who will open the day’s play on Rod Laver Arena against Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Former world No. 1 Osaka, the 16th seed, will play Croatia’s Antonia Ružić in the final match of the day on centre court. The 28-year-old Japanese star has been working to rediscover the form and fitness that helped her win the Australian Open titles in 2019 and 2021.
Top-10 seeds Elena Rybakina and Belinda Bencic will also begin their campaigns.
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