There will be 11 Italian tennis players who will take to the court at the 2026 Australian Open. Jannik Sinner prepares the trio after the triumph of previous years. Jasmine Paolini aims for the first Slam of her career
The Australian Open 2026 they open the new season of world tennis with a fact that tells better than any other the golden moment of the Italian movement: eleven Italians will be at the start of the first Slam of the yearscheduled from Sunday 18 January to Sunday 1 February in Melbourne. A massive presence, distributed between the men’s and women’s draw, which puts Italy at the center of the scene and ignites the anticipation especially around Jannik Sinner, reigning champion and man to beat on Australian hard courts.
All Italian tennis players at the Australian Open 2026
In the men’s singles, nine Italians will be directly admitted to the main draw. Sinner is obviously leading the group, followed by Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, Luciano Darderi, Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, Mattia Bellucci and Luca Nardi. In the women’s tournament it will be the turn of Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto defend the Italian colours, with Paolini who will arrive in Melbourne as the top seed and with important ambitions. In total 128 players will take to the field in both men’s and women’s singles. The qualifiers will take place at Melbourne Park from 12 to 15 January as part of the Opening Week which will also feature many top players.
Sinner returns to Melbourne as reigning champion
The greatest attention will inevitably be on Jannik Sinnerwho will present himself at the Australian Open with the status of reigning champion after the triumph in 2025. On that occasion the South Tyrolean won in the final Alexander Zverev with a clear 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, confirming a now consolidated superiority on Australian hard courts. A domination that began already in 2024, when he won his first Slam by overcoming a two set deficit Daniil Medvedev in a final entry into history.
With two consecutive titles in Melbourne, Sinner has already put his name alongside that of the greats. Today they appear in his palmarès Quattro Slamtwo Australian Opens, one US Open and Wimbledon, and the possibility of also winning the 2026 edition would project him into an even higher dimension. In the event of a third consecutive success, it would indeed become the second tennis player of the Open eraafter Novak Djokovic, capable of winning three Australian Opens in a row. An achievement that would make Melbourne his “home” even more.
The other Italians and the seedings of the 2026 Australian Open
Alongside Sinner, Italy will be able to count on other certainties. Lorenzo Musetti he will present himself as the number 8 seed, with the aim of making his way even on a surface that has not always rewarded him in the past. Flavio Cobolli e Luciano Darderiseeded 21st and 25th respectively, arrive in Melbourne with the knowledge that they can put many opponents in difficulty in the first rounds.
Also pay attention to Matteo Berrettinitoday in 54th place in the ranking, who has already demonstrated his ability to be competitive on Australian hard courts, as well as Lorenzo Sonegoan expert and often dangerous player in Slam tournaments. Matteo Arnaldi, Mattia Bellucci e Luca Nardi instead they represent the youngest and most unpredictable part of the Italian contingent, ready to take advantage of the opportunity to show off on one of the most important stages on the circuit.
In the women’s draw, Jasmine Paolini will be seeded number 8 and will try to confirm its growth also in Melbourne, while Elisabetta Cocciaretto will try to overcome the first rounds and find continuity in the Majors.
Alcaraz leads the scoreboard, Sabalenka favorite among women
Leading the men’s entry list will be Carlos Alcaraz, current world number one. The Spaniard has never won the Australian Open and has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals, but will arrive in Melbourne with a clear objective: to complete the Career Grand Slamhaving already won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. A feat that Sinner also looks at with interest, who only lacks the Parisian title.
In the women’s tournament, the number one seed will be Aryna Sabalenkanumber one in the WTA rankings. The Belarusian has already won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, while in 2025 she stopped in the final. Among the main rivals for the title there will be, in addition to our Jasmine Paolini, Iga Swiatek e Coco Gauffready to enter the fight for the trophy.
Match calendar, live TV and possible scenarios
Il complete calendar of the Italians’ matcheswith dates, times and opponents, will be available after the official draw of the draw and will be updated day by day. In particular, great attention will be paid to Sinner’s path and to any crossovers with the other seeded teams in the decisive rounds, from the round of 16 up to a possible final. The 2026 Australian Open matches will be broadcast live on TV and streamed on Eurosport, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video Channels, DAZN, TIMVision or on the newborn Hbo Maxwhich will be launched in Italy on January 13th.
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