The 2026 Australian Open is now underway in Melbourne. After the first round, which completed on Tuesday, 16 players (nine women and seven men) are eliminated.
On the men’s side those players who are out are the seventh seed and two-time United States Open semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, 17th seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, 20th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, 23rd seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 24th seed Arthur Ridnerknech of France, 27th seed Brandon Nakashima of the United States and 28th seed Joao Fonseca of Brazil. The fact that Fonseca is eliminated is not a surprise because he has been dealing with a back ailment. Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, withdrew during his first round match because of a leg injury. At the time, he trailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Nuno Borges of Portugal.
Six players who delivered first round upsets by beating a men’s seeded singles player were Arthur Gea of France (beat Lehecka, 7-5, 7-6, 7-5), Arthur Fery of Great Britain (beat Cobolli, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1), Ethan Quinn of the United States (beat Griekspoor, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2), Fabian Marozsan of Hungary (beat Rinderknech, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4), Biotic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands (beat Nakashima, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6), Eliot Spizzirri of the United States (beat Fonseca, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2). Gea and Fery each won their tiebreak by a score of 7-1.
On the women’s side, those players who are out are 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, 2024 United States Open semifinalist and 15th seed Emma Navarro of the United States, the 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, 20th seed Marta Kotsyuk of Ukraine, 22nd seed and 2021 United States Open finalist Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada, 2024 Australian Open semifinalist and 26th seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 27th seed and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States, 30th seed Maya Joint of Australia, and 32nd seed and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Vondrousova withdrew because of a shoulder injury before she went on the court.
Eight players who delivered first round upsets by beating a women’s seeded singles player were Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey (beat Alexandrova, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4), 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette of Poland (beat Navarro, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3), Laura Siegemund of Germany (beat Samsonova, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4), Elsa Jacquemot of France (beat Kostyuk, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6), Janice Tjen of Indonesia (beat Fernandez 6-2, 7-6), Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania (beat Yastremska 6-4, 7-5), Peyton Stearns of the United States (beat Kenin, 6-3, 6-2), and Tereza Valentova (beat Vondrousova 6-4, 6-4). The match between Linette and Navarro was considered one of the five best first round matches.
