Saturday, January 24, 2026, was a day of high drama at Melbourne Park, defined by scorching temperatures, a major withdrawal, and several top seeds pushing through tough third-round encounters.
Men’s Singles: Sinner’s Great Escape, Djokovic’s Milestone
The day’s most dramatic story involved World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who struggled with full-body cramps and the extreme 40C heat against American underdog Eliot Spizzirri. Sinner “got lucky with the heat rule” as the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed, allowing him to recover and secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Earlier,
Novak Djokovic made history by becoming the first player ever to record 400 Grand Slam singles wins with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Botic van de Zandschulp. It was not without stress, as he saved two set points in the third set and nearly hit a ball kid with a swiped ball, risking disqualification.
Other key results:
Home favourite Alex de Minaur advanced to the fourth round for the fifth consecutive year with a straight-sets win over Frances Tiafoe.
Taylor Fritz ended Stan Wawrinka’s final Australian Open run with a four-set victory.
Casper Ruud and Ben Shelton also secured their spots in the second week.
Women’s Singles: Osaka Withdraws, Swiatek Survives
The women’s draw saw a major shock off the court as two-time champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury, sending Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis straight into the fourth round via walkover.
World No. 2 Iga Świątek survived a tough, patchy performance against Anna Kalinskaya, ultimately winning in three sets: 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. Meanwhile, World No. 5 Elena Rybakina powered past Tereza Valentova 6-2, 6-3.
American seeds Jessica Pegula and defending champion Madison Keys both secured comfortable straight-sets wins to set up a fourth-round showdown against each other.
Today’s Action Highlights (Sunday, Jan 25)
Round of 16 action begins today, featuring several top stars:
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka takes on the Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz faces American Tommy Paul.
Australia’s last remaining hope in singles, Alex de Minaur, plays Alexander Bublik in the night session.
Stay tuned for Australian open tips
Today we made a perfect 2/2 score.
