The top seeds in the men’s and women’s singles, Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, will face Adam Walton and Tiantosa Rakotomanga Lajanoa respectively in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open.
After the draw for the first tennis Grand Slam event of the year on Thursday (January 15), the world No. 1 men’s and women’s singles players respectively selected Walton, who plays at home, and a French wild card player.
Alcaraz will challenge for the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win in his career.
Defending champions Yannik Sinner and Madison Keys face first-round opponents Hugo Gaston and Oleksandr Olijnikova respectively. The main race kicks off in Melbourne on Sunday.
Third-seeded Coco Gauff and Venus Williams are in the same half, and the two stars, who have won a combined nine Grand Slam titles, are expected to meet in the second round.
The 45-year-old Williams competes as a wild card. She will face world No. 68 Olga Danilovich in the first round and is expected to become the oldest female player in the history of the Australian Open.
She will break the record held by Japanese star Kimiko Date, who was 44 years old when he competed in 2015.
World No. 2 Iga Savatek will face Chinese player Yuan Yue in the first round. If she can successfully advance to a few rounds, she is expected to face a potential showdown with Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, while ten-time tournament champion Novak Djokovic will face Spanish player Pedro Martinez to start his Australian Open journey.
