Balls have been flying at a frenetic pace down under, with eight days of the 2026 Australian Open completed already in Melbourne. If you’ve missed some or all of the action, then you’re in the right place. I’ve been in the thick of it, and cover all the key storylines from the last week below.
Australian Open shatters attendance records
To say there have been big crowds at the 2026 Australian Open is an understatement. Tennis fans have been turning up in their droves, shattering attendance records from previous years. Here’s an overview of how the numbers have stacked up so far:
- Opening Week (total) – 217,999
- Day 1 – 100,763
- Day 2 – 101,696
- Day 3 – 98,295
- Day 4 – 103,720
- Day 5 – 103,956
- Day 6 – 92,054
- Day 7 – 78,915
- Day 8 – 85,338
That’s a total of 982,736 people through the gates in Melbourne with seven days of the tournament still to go! All but two of the days broke past attendance records too.
As expected, there have been plenty of gripes about how packed Melbourne Park has been as a result of these record crowds, with some complaining that it’s ruining the experience. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below – are these kinds of attendance numbers good for the sport, or a sign of greed from the event organizers?
A Grand Slam first week sans upsets
Usually at this stage of a major, the main storylines pivot around unexpected names making deep runs and upsetting tournament favorites. This year, there’s been very little of that, at least in the men’s side of the draw.
For the first time in my memory, the men’s round of 16 is comprised of entirely seeded players. In fact, 11 of the 12 top seeds made it through, with only Felix Auger-Aliassime upset.
For the women, there’s been a little bit more unpredictability, with three unseeded players – Yulia Putintseva, Xinyu Wang and Maddison Inglis – making the fourth round. The latter is the Cinderella story of the tournament so far, an Australian who has fought her way through qualifying and will play Iga Swiatek for a spot in the quarter-finals tonight.
Sinner, Djokovic lucky to be alive
While the seeds have largely held strong in Melbourne, two of the men’s title favorites had heart-in-mouth moments this weekend, nearly exiting the tournament for very different reasons.
Jannik Sinner found himself in a world of trouble against young American Eliot Spizzirri, dropping the opening set and suffering full body cramps under the brutal Australian sun. I was in the stands and I can tell you: it was hot that day. The Italian could barely move on court and Spizzirri looked to be on the cusp of victory, outplaying him at his own game.
The tennis gods yet again intervened in the defending champion’s favor, however, as the heat index crossed the necessary threshold to warrant the Rod Laver roof being closed. This, combined with the break after the third set that was also triggered by the high heat, gave Sinner the lifeline he needed.
For Djokovic, his trouble was very much of his own making. Playing against Botic van de Zandschulp, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had a brain fade, slapping at a ball in frustration at the end of a point. The result was very nearly catastrophic, and a repeat of his 2020 US Open default, as the ball whizzed just centimeters by the mid-court ball boy.
Teenagers once again shine in Australia
The first week of last year’s Australian Open was epitomized by teenagers breaking through, as Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien each upset seeds and made the third round.
This year it’s been no different, with a host of young stars not only qualifying, but punching above their weight in main draw action. It wasn’t Fonseca this time – he flopped round one courtesy of a lingering back issue – but Tien has again led the charge.
The American has looked brilliant across the first eight days, most recently handing Daniil Medvedev his first-ever bagel set in 125 Grand Slam matches, en route to his maiden major quarter-final.
Earlier in the week, Rafael Jodar and Rei Sakamoto played the first all-teen Grand Slam main draw match since 2021.
For the women, Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic all made the round of 16 as teenagers, with the latter winning and reaching the last eight at a major for the first time.
Osaka steals the show
Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open with an abdominal injury, but not before she stole the limelight with another epic outfit ahead of her first round match against Antonia Ruzic. The Japanese entered Rod Laver Arena in a spectacular jellyfish-themed costume which immediately drew polarizing opinions from across the tennis (and non-tennis) world.
Her fashion choices weren’t the only drama Osaka found herself entangled in last week, however. The former champ also got into it with her second-round opponent Sorena Cirstea, who took issue with Osaka’s audible self-affirmations between points. Specifically, Cirstea asked the umpire if Osaka was allowed to say “come on!” between first and second serves.
After the match, there was a frosty handshake, followed by some raw comments from Osaka in her on-court interview when asked about the incident.
“Apparently a lot of come ons that she was angry about,” Osaka said. “Whatever. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad about it.”
She immediately apologized for her remarks in the post-match presser, saying she shouldn’t have gone that far and it was a heat-of-the-moment comment.
Stan the Man concludes Australian Open career
Rounding out last week’s action, it’s fitting to highlight the efforts of Stan Wawrinka. The 40-year-old veteran was arguably the most entertaining storyline of week one at the Australian Open, with the Swiss putting on a show as he powered his way into the third round against all odds.
Having barely won at all last year, Wawrinka found another gear for his fans, first beating Laslo Djere in round one, then taking down Arthur Gea in a four-and-a-half hour epic. He put up a valiant effort against Taylor Fritz too, pushing the No 9 seed to four sets before running out of fizz.
There was plenty of fizz in his post-match speech, though, as he cracked a beer on-court and shared a drink with tournament organizer Craig Tiley.
Coming up next week
Our Australian Open champions will be crowned, so it’s all eyes on Melbourne for the next seven days. There are less matches of course, but the stakes are far higher. Can Alex de Minaur keep Australia’s hopes alive? Will Djokovic capitalize on his lucky break to capture a 25th slam, or are Alcaraz and Sinner destined to fight out yet another major final? Will Aryna Sabalenka get revenge for last year’s loss? How far can teen Jovic push her run? We’ll know the answers to all these questions this time next week.
