“Game, set and match” has been called for the last time at Australian Open 2026, but not before brilliant champions etched their names in history and cherished memories were made.
A record 1.37 million fans graced the grounds at Melbourne Park across a magical three weeks, soaking in seconds-long tussles at the AO 1 Point Slam Driven by Kia and titanic battles featuring the sport’s biggest stars.
Carlos Alcaraz captured a maiden AO men’s singles crown, and by doing so at 22, became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam and the first to achieve the feat in Melbourne. “It is a dream come true for me,” said Alcaraz.
By triumphing in four sets, the world No.1 simultaneously became the youngest man to own seven Grand Slam titles and handed 10-time AO champion Novak Djokovic his first defeat in an AO final. By dominating the inter-generational clash, the Spaniard also denied the 38-year-old a chance to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open era.
Djokovic, still hunting an elusive 25th major title, described his run to the AO 2026 final, his first since Wimbledon 2024, as “encouraging.”
Elena Rybakina, a first-time AO women’s singles champion, became the first Kazakhstani to win an AO singles title. The fifth seed avenged her AO 2023 final loss to Aryna Sabalenka by trusting her game and utilising weapons including her first serve, huge backhand and steely composure.
Sabalenka, the world No.1 departing Melbourne with finalist silverware for a second year in a row, credited Rybakina for being the better player. The 27-year-old already has her sights set on a fifth consecutive AO final in 2027, the four-time major champion reiterating her desire to be reunited with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup she’s lifted twice before. “Let’s hope that next year, Daphne [is] going to be ours, right?”
Before the title matches, two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev left everything on the line in epic semifinals, which were the first back-to-back five-set clashes since 2017.
World No.1 Sinner converted just two of 18 break points in his five-set defeat by a resurgent Djokovic, while Zverev came closer than anyone ever has to completing a two-sets-to-love comeback against Alcaraz in what was the longest-ever AO semifinal.
Sinner’s countryman Lorenzo Musetti, the fifth seed, lit up Rod Laver Arena in his quarterfinal against Djokovic before being forced to retire with injury, while Learner Tien, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur also had memorable runs to the last eight. We bid farewell to wildcard and AO 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka, who at 40, fought his way to the third round, and to Gael Monfils, who succumbed in four sets to rising Australian star Dane Sweeny in the first round.
Elina Svitolina, Monfils’ wife, gave the Frenchman an excellent reason prolong his stay in Melbourne with a stirring run to the women’s singles semifinals by earning resounding upsets over Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva. Teenagers Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko had stunning runs to the quarterfinals and fourth round, respectively, where they were both stopped by Sabalenka. And Zeynep Sonmez, a qualifier, made history as the first Turkish player to reach the AO third round.
Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang won the women’s doubles crown, their sixth and third Grand Slam doubles titles respectively, while Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski lifted the men’s doubles title, representing a maiden major for the American Harrison and a second for his British partner.
Australian wildcards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers were crowned AO 2026 mixed doubles champions, becoming the first team to defend their title since Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh in 1989.
Ksenia Efremova was crowned junior girls’ singles champion, the first French player to achieve the feat since 1999, while Ziga Sesko became the first Slovenian to win a junior boys’ singles title.
In men’s quad wheelchair singles, 23-year-old Niels Vink completed a career Grand Slam and announced with a smile that “I completed tennis.”
And Japan’s Tokito Oda made history by capturing the men’s wheelchair singles crown. At 19, he’s the youngest man to concurrently hold all four Grand Slam titles across any format of professional tennis. In women’s wheelchair singles, Xiaohui Li celebrated a maiden Grand Slam title by defeating Diede de Groot.
