Belinda Bencic was the victim of the biggest shock of the Australian Open so far as the 10th seed fell to a second-round defeat to 19-year-old Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova. Bencic was one of the in-form players in the women’s draw, having beaten Iga Swiatek on her way to starting the season 6-0, but was stunned by Bartunkova 6-3 0-6 6-4 on Thursday.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka are the top seeds for the tournament, with Jannik Sinner and Swiatek the second seeds as the first grand slam of the year gets underway.
Alcaraz and Sinner could become the first men to play in four consecutive grand slam finals since Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal did so between 2011 and 2012. Alcaraz is bidding for his first Australian Open title - which would make the youngest man of all time to complete the career grand slam - while Sinner is on for a hat-trick of titles in Melbourne.
Sabalenka, the US Open champion, and Swiatek, the Wimbledon champion, have yet to meet in a grand slam final. Swiatek is also an Australian Open title away from completing the career grand slam while Sabalenka will be out to regain her crown after a shock defeat to Madison Keys in last year’s final.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff begins the opening grand slam of the year as the third seed, with defending champion Keys ninth on the women’s side. Djokovic, the record 10-time champion in Melbourne, is seeded fourth on the men’s side and would expect to face Sinner in the semi-finals if he gets there.
Men’s seeds
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Plays fourth round vs. Tommy Paul [19]
2. Jannik Sinner
Plays third round vs. Eliot Spizzirri
3. Alexander Zverev
Plays fourth round vs. Francisco Cerundolo [18]
4. Novak Djokovic
Plays third round vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
5. Lorenzo Musetti
Plays third round vs. Tomas Machac
6. Alex de Minaur
Plays fourth round vs Alexander Bublik [10]
❌ 7. Felix Auger-Aliassime - knocked out first round by Nuno Borges, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 0-0, ret.
8. Ben Shelton
Plays third round vs. Valentin Vacherot [30]
9. Taylor Fritz
Plays third round vs. Stan Wawrinka [WC]
10. Alexander Bublik
Plays fourth round vs. Alex de Minaur [6]
11. Daniil Medvedev
Plays fourth round vs. Learner Tien [25]
12. Casper Ruud
Plays third round vs. Marin Cilic
❌ 13. Andrey Rublev - knocked out in third round by Francisco Cerúndolo [18] 6-3 7-6 6-3
❌ 14. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina knocked out in third round by Tommy Paul [19] 6-1 6-1 Walkover
15. Karen Khachanov
Plays third round vs. Luciano Darderi [22]
16. Jakub Mensik
Plays third round vs. Ethan Quinn
❌ 17. Jiri Lehecka - knocked out first round vs Arthur Gea [Q] 7-5 7-6 7-5
18. Francisco Cerundolo
Plays fourth round vs. Alexander Zverev [3]
19. Tommy Paul
Plays fourth round vs. Carlos Alcaraz [1]
❌ 20. Flavio Cobolli - knocked out first round vs Arthur Fery [Q] , 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-1
❌ 21. Denis Shapovalov - knocked out second round vs Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
22. Luciano Darderi
Plays third round vs. Karen Khachanov [15]
❌ 23. Tallon Griekspoor - knocked out first round vs Ethan Quinn 6-2 6-3 6-2
❌ 24. Arthur Rinderknech - knocked out first round vs Fabian Marozsan, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4.
25. Learner Tien
Plays fourth round vs Daniil Medvedev [11]
❌ 26. Cameron Norrie - knocked out in third round by Alexander Zverev [3] 7-5 4-6 6-3 6-1
❌ 27. Brandon Nakashima - knocked out first round vs Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 4-6 7-6 7-6
❌ 28. Joao Fonseca - knocked out first round vs Eliot Spizzirri
❌ 29. Frances Tiafoe - knocked out in third round by Alex de Minaur [6] 6-3 6-4 7-5
30. Valentin Vacherot
Plays third round vs. Ben Shelton [8]
❌ 31. Stefanos Tsitsipas - knocked out second round vs. Tomas Machac, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).
❌ 32. Corentin Moutet - knocked out in third round by Carlos Alcaraz [1] 6-2 6-4 6-1
Women’s seeds
1. Aryna Sabalenka
Plays fourth round vs. Victoria Mboko [17]
2. Iga Swiatek
Plays third round vs. Anna Kalinskaya [31]
3. Coco Gauff
Plays fourth round vs. Karolina Muchova [19]
4. Amanda Anisimova
Plays third round vs. Peyton Stearns
5. Elena Rybakina
Plays third round vs. Tereza Valentova
6. Jessica Pegula
Plays third round vs. Oksana Selekhmeteva
❌ 7. Jasmine Paolini - knocked out in third round by Iva Jovic [29] 6-2 7-6
8. Mirra Andreeva
Plays fourth round vs. Elina Svitolina [12]
9. Madison Keys
Plays third round vs. Karolína Plískova
❌ 10. Belinda Bencic - knocked out second round by Nikola Bartunkova [Q], 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
❌ 11. Ekaterina Alexandrova - knocked out in first round by Zeynep Sonmez [Q] 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
12. Elina Svitolina
Plays fourth round vs. Mirra Andreeva [8]
13. Linda Noskova
Plays third round vs. Wang Xinyu
❌ 14. Clara Tauson - knocked out in third round by Victoria Mboko [17] 7-6 5-7 6-3
❌ 15. Emma Navarro - knocked out in first round by Magda Linette, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
16. Naomi Osaka
Plays third round vs. Maddison Inglis [Q]
17. Victoria Mboko
Plays fourth round vs. Aryna Sabalenka [1]
❌ 18. Liudmila Samsonova - knocked out first round by Laura Siegemund, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4.
19. Karolina Muchova
Plays fourth round vs. Coco Gauff [3]
❌ 20. Marta Kostyuk - knocked out first round by Elsa Jacquemot, 6-7 7-6 7-6
21. Elise Mertens
Plays third round vs. Nikola Bartůňková [Q]
❌ 22. Leylah Fernandez - knocked out first round vs Janice Tjen
❌ 23. Diana Shnaider - knocked out in third round by Elina Svitolina [12] 7-6 6-3
❌ 24. Jelena Ostapenko - knocked out second round vsWang Xinyu, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
❌ 25. Paula Badosa - knocked out second round vs Oksana Selekhmeteva, 6-4, 6-4.
❌ 26. Dayana Yastremska - knocked out first round by Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-4, 7-5
❌ 27. Sofia Kenin - knocked out first round by Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-2.
❌ 28. Emma Raducanu - knocked out second round by Anastasia Potapova, 7-6 6-2
29. Iva Jovic
Plays fourth round vs. Yulia Putintseva
❌ 30. Maya Joint - knocked out first round vs Tereza Valentova
31. Anna Kalinskaya
Plays third round vs. Iga Swiatek [2]
❌ 32. Marketa Vondrousova - withdrew before first round vs Hailey Baptiste
Is the Australian Open on TV?
The tournament will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK as well as online on Discovery+.
In the US, it will be shown live on ESPN and Tennis Channel.
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