Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka will headline the Australian Open 2026 as the top seeds in the men’s and women’s singles draws, which are set to be revealed on Thursday, with main-draw action beginning on Sunday.
In the men’s singles, Alcaraz leads the seedings following a strong 2025 season. Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy is seeded second. The seedings ensure that, should both players continue winning, they can only meet in the final.
If Alcaraz and Sinner face off in the summit clash, it would mark the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final featuring the Spaniard and the Italian, and their first meeting at the Australian Open.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev is seeded third, marking the second straight year that he, Alcaraz and Sinner occupy the top three seedings. Ten-time champion Novak Djokovic begins his 21st Australian Open campaign as the fourth seed.
Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, newly ranked inside the top five, rounds out the top five men’s seeds.
In the women’s draw, Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the top three seeds for the second consecutive year. At Melbourne Park last year, Sabalenka and Swiatek were one point away from setting up a No. 1 versus No. 2 final — a matchup that remains possible in 2026 given their top-two seeding positions.
American Amanda Anisimova is seeded fourth, followed by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in fifth and Jessica Pegula in sixth. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva are also among the leading seeds. Defending champion Madison Keys returns as the ninth seed and is one of four American women in the top 10, alongside Gauff, Anisimova and Pegula.
Meanwhile, 30th seed Maya Joint becomes the first Australian woman to be seeded at the Australian Open since Ash Barty, who won the title in 2022 as the top seed.
The women’s draw also features former champions and high-profile names such as Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Sofia Kenin and Marketa Vondrousova among the 32 seeded players.
(IANS)
