Carlos Alcaraz will begin his pursuit of tennis history in Melbourne on Sunday as the Australian Open gets under way, with the men’s world number one joined on the opening day by women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev and veteran Venus Williams.
The first matches of the tournament were played in hot and sunny conditions, with seventh seed Jasmine Paolini making light work of Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, winning 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena. There was an early upset elsewhere as Ukraine’s 26th seed Dayana Yastremska was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by Romania’s Gabriela Ruse.
For Alcaraz, the opening Grand Slam of the season represents the missing piece in an already glittering career. The 22-year-old Spaniard has won the US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open, but has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
His stated aim for 2026 is to dethrone defending champion Jannik Sinner. Should he lift the trophy, Alcaraz would become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, surpassing compatriot Rafael Nadal.
“I’m just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here,” said the six-time major winner. “I’m just getting ready as much as I can. I’m really excited about the tournament beginning.”
Alcaraz faces Australia’s Adam Walton, ranked 79 in the world, in the final match of the day on Rod Laver Arena.
Zverev, ranked third and beaten by Sinner in last year’s final, begins his campaign against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo. The German is seeking a return to the championship match after falling short 12 months ago.
The night session will open with Sabalenka, who is targeting a third Australian Open title in four years. The Belarusian suffered a surprise defeat to Madison Keys in last season’s final but arrives in Melbourne in strong form after winning the Brisbane International.
“I can’t complain about my start of the season,” said Sabalenka, 27. “I think I played some great matches there, showed great tennis.”
She plays French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah in her opening match.
Williams, now 45, returns to the Australian Open for the first time since 2021 after receiving a wildcard. Set to become the oldest woman ever to compete at the tournament, the former world number one faces Serbia’s Olga Danilovic, ranked 68.
Currently ranked 576, Williams has played sparingly in recent years and exited early in both of her warm-up events.
“This is the greatest place on Earth to play,” she said. “I have had amazing memories here. I love challenges, so I’m up for the challenge.”
Also scheduled to play on Sunday are men’s 10th seed Alexander Bublik and women’s 12th seed Elina Svitolina, both of whom arrive in Melbourne after winning warm-up tournaments.
