Monday sees the conclusion of the round of 16 in Melbourne.
The Order of Play on Day 9 is headlined by both an ATP and WTA round of 16 battle between top 10 seeds. Italian No.2 Lorenzo Musetti takes on 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz, while the other US Open runner-up from that year, Jessica Pegula, faces defending champion Madison Keys.
Plus, No.2 seeds Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner will both play their fourth round matches. But one player who won’t is Novak Djokovic, as he has received a walkover in the fourth round from Jakub Mensik, who withdrew due to an abdominal injury.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Day 9 (in chronological order, all times local):
Jessica Pegula (6) vs. Madison Keys (9) – 11:30am on Rod Laver Arena
Despite arriving in Melbourne having lost six of her last nine matches, Madison Keys has looked sharp in her title defense, and she’s yet to drop a set. But Pegula has advanced even more clinically, averaging less than two games lost per set. And unlike Madison, who didn’t play most of the fall season, Jess had a great fall. It was highlighted by semifinal appearances in Beijing as well as the WTA Finals, and she was the runner-up in Wuhan. Keys leads their head-to-head 2-1, which includes a three-set victory just a year ago in Adelaide.
Xinyu Wang vs. Amanda Anisimova (4) – Not Before 1:30pm on John Cain Arena
Anisimova is another top American who has claimed all six sets she’s contested. Xinyu has already upset two seeded players (Ostapenko, Noskova) to reach the round of 16 at a Major for the third time, though she’s yet to advance farther. The 24-year-old from China has enjoyed a great start to her 2026, with a record of 8-2, but Anisimova should be able to dictate play with her commanding serve and backhand.
Lorenzo Musetti (5) vs. Taylor Fritz (9) – Not Before 2:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
In the last round, Musetti outlasted Tomas Machac in five, to advance to the second week in Melbourne for the first time. Later that day, Fritz ended Stan Wawrinka’s final Australian Open with a four-set victory. These top 10 players have split six prior encounters, with their most significant clash occurring two years ago in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, when Musetti prevailed in five, on a day when both men were vying for their first Major semifinal.
Elena Rybakina (5) vs. Elise Mertens (21) – Not Before 4:00pm on Margaret Court Arena
Rybakina is in superb form, as it’s been four months since she’s lost to a player ranked outside the top 20. Mertens was a semifinalist here eight years ago, and hasn’t lost a set through three rounds, though she’s also yet to face anyone ranked higher than No.88. Elena leads their head-to-head 6-1 overall, and 5-0 on hard courts.
Luciano Darderi (21) vs. Jannik Sinner (2) – Not Before 6:00pm on Margaret Court Arena
Sinner will be happy to be scheduled later in the day, after suffering from cramping while competing earlier in the day amidst some brutal heat on Saturday. This is Darderi’s debut in the second week of a Slam, after taking out Karen Khachanov in the last round. The 23-year-old Italian won three ATP clay court titles last season, yet as per Tennis Abstract, went just 6-15 on this surface.
Maddison Inglis (Q) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Not Before 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Swiatek is looking to reach the quarterfinals at a sixth consecutive Major. Inglis is a 28-year-old Australian qualifier who won a pair of extremely tight three-setters this past week. She also benefitted from the withdrawal of Naomi Osaka, to achieve the biggest result of her career to date. Five years ago in Adelaide, Iga defeated Maddison 6-1, 6-3.
Ben Shelton (8) vs. Casper Ruud (12) – Last on Rod Laver Arena
Shelton has won all nine of his sets to this stage, which includes wins over two dangerous draws: Ugo Humbert and Valentin Vacherot. Ruud has dropped only one set, which came on Saturday night against Marin Cilic. Casper is 2-1 against Ben, but this is their first meeting at a Major. And as Ben Rothenberg recently highlighted, no man ups his level in the best-of-five format as much as Shelton.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.
