Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka win in straight sets

MELBOURNE: World No. 1 and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka took down French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah in straight sets on the opening day of Australian Open 2026 in Melbourne on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz, men’s World No. 1 and top seed, began his campaign for a maiden title in Melbourne to complete the Career Grand Slam by beating local hope Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2.

The top-seeded Spaniard needed just under two hours to outperform the home favourite, displaying his trademark blend of power, precision, and court coverage to take control of the contest. Alcaraz struck eight aces and committed only one double fault, underlining his efficiency on serve throughout the match.

Alcaraz dominated the opening set, breaking Walton early to establish a strong lead. The Australian raised his level in the second set, pushing the Spaniard into a tie-break, but Alcaraz responded with authority, winning seven of the nine points to claim the breaker and move two sets ahead.

The third set followed a similar pattern to the first, with Alcaraz breaking serve at key moments to seal the match comfortably. He finished with 101 points won compared to Walton’s 73 and claimed 19 games to his opponent’s 11.

The Spaniard was particularly effective on serve, winning 76 per cent of points on his first delivery and 70 per cent on his second. Walton struggled to capitalise on his chances, converting just one of his break-point opportunities, while Alcaraz broke serve four times from 10 chances.

An error-strewn Aryna Sabalenka made a stodgy start to her title charge with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Rajaonah.

The 27-year-old Belarusian, fresh from winning the season-opening Brisbane International, made a sloppy start in losing the first three points of the match when serving.

Emma Raducanu shook off an unsteady opening to assert her authority in the first round, powering past Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew with a 6-4, 6-1 victory and extending her flawless record in Melbourne openers.

Elsa Jacquemot defeated Marta Kostyuk in a three-and-a-half-hour match at ANZ Arena, with all three sets decided by tiebreaks.

This is the first occurrence of such an event in a women’s singles match at Melbourne Park since the tournament adopted final-set tiebreaks in 2019.

At three hours and 31 minutes, it became the longest women’s singles match at the event since that format’s introduction, with an almost incredulous final score of 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6[10-7]. The previous record after 2019 was three hours and 20 minutes, set last year by Emma Navarro and Peyton Stearns, whose all-American first-round match ended 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5.

Arthur Fery, ranked 185th worldwide and a British qualifier, pulled off the first major upset of the Australian Open 2026 by beating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1 in the tournament’s opening match.

The 23-year-old was participating in his third match of the 2026 season. He went 1-1 at the United Cup, with a three-set victory over Stan Wawrinka and a close loss to French player Arthur Rinderknech, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-5, in a demanding three-hour, 21-minute match.

However, Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from the Australian Open 2026 on Sunday due to a shoulder injury.

Zeynep Sonmez produced a spirited performance to defeat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Jasmine Paolini powered into the second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne on Sunday. The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2.

In the other match, Maria Sakkari beat Leolia Jeanjean from France 6-4, 6-2 to open the tournament on a commanding note.

World No. 3 Alexander Zverev dropped a set before reaching the second round  in a shaky start to his bid to make another final at the season-opening Grand Slam. The German, who lost in three sets to Jannik Sinner in the 2025 tournament decider, ground past 41st-ranked Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Zheng will next face number 32 Corentin Moutet, who was booed after his underarm serve on match point in a 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3 win over Tristan Schoolkate.

Frances Tiafoe overpowered Jason Kubler 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2, and Michael Zheng fended off Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0), 6-3 in an all-American first-round match on Kia Arena.

Zheng will next face number 32 Corentin Moutet, who was booed after his underarm serve on match point in a 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3 win over Tristan Schoolkate.

Number 20 Flavio Cobolli became the first of the seeded men’s players to exit the tournament in a 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-1 loss to British qualifier Arthur Fery. Agencies

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