Jannik Sinner could face one of the Tour’s rising stars during the first week of the Australian Open in his bid to clinch another title.
The world No.2 is aiming to become only the second man in the Open Era to win the Sunshine Slam for a third consecutive time after Novak Djokovic, who he is projected to play in the semi-finals of this year’s draw. Sinner will begin his latest campaign against France’s Hugo Gaston in the first round. Gaston has been ranked as high as 58th in the world and has reached two ATP Finals so far in his career. Should all go to plan, the Italian then faces either James Duckworth or a qualifier before a mouthwatering showdown against Joao Fonseca. Fonseca won the Swiss Open at the end of a breakthrough 2025 season and has been tipped as a player who has the ability to go to the top.
“A personal goal for me is to do great weeks consistently… not up and down, like doing semis and losing second round,” Fonseca told The Observer about his 2026 objectives. “That consistency is what brings me to the top level. I hope I can get close to the top 10, maybe get into it and do great runs in the slams.”
Sinner, who is currently on a 14-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, could potentially face Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals before a collision course with Djokovic. Assuming the draw goes according to the seedlings.
“I’ve practiced very well to be here. The off-season was great, physically I feel good so let’s see what’s coming.” Sinner said earlier this week.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz has a chance to achieve a career Grand Slam if he can triumph in Melbourne. He has yet to get beyond the quarter-finals of the event, but will be eager to overcome that in 2026. In a relatively favourable draw, the Spaniard starts off against home player Adam Walton. Further down the line, he could face Seb Korda or Corentin Moutet in round three and then either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz will be making his fifth main draw appearance in the tournament and currently has a win-loss record of 11-4.
Last year’s runner-up, Alexander Zverev, will need to be in solid form early on as he plays Canadian world No.41 Gabriel Diallo in his opening match. Then he will face either former Masters champion Alexi Popyrin or Alexandre Muller. The German recently played at the United Cup, where he beat Tallon Griekspoor but lost to Hubert Hurkacz. Zverev is in the same section as Andrey Rublev, who opens up against Matteo Arnaldo.
10-time champion Djokovic heads into the draw with questions about his current form after reportedly ending a practice session in Melbourne early. Although there have yet to be any formal comments on the reason for doing so. The former world No.1 was one of the most consistent players at majors last year, where he reached the semi-finals at all of them. Djokovic plays Pedro Martinez in the first round and then could face Brandon Nakashima, followed by Jakub Mensik during the first week.
Elsewhere, home player Alex de Minaur has been handed a nightmare draw, which sees him face danger right away against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. On top of this, former top 10 player Frances Tiafoe is a potential third round opponent, and then Alexander Bublik, who recently won the Hong Kong Open.
This year’s Australian Open champion will earn $4.15M in prize money, which is a year-on-year increase of 19%. The main draw will get underway on Sunday.
First round matches to look out for
- Alex De Minaur AUS vs. Matteo Berrettini ITA
- Alexander Zverev GER vs. Gabriel Diallo CAN
- Andrey Rublev RUS vs. Matteo Arnaldi ITA
- Grigor Dimitrov BUL vs. Thomas Machac CZE
- Hubert Hurkacz POL vs. Zizou Bergs BEL
- Ben Shelton USA vs. Ugo Humbert FRA
- Alexander Bublik KZA vs. Jenson Brooksby USA
- Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard FRA vs. Sebastian Baez ARG
- Lorenzo Musetti ITA Vs Raphael Collignon BEL
The full draw can be viewed HERE.
