Australian Open 2026 Day 5 Summary

Day five of the 2026 Australian Open belonged to the old guard, as it was the veterans who delivered the clearest statement.

Novak Djokovic continued his march towards another deep run with a clinical straight-sets victory, Marin Čilić rolled back the years to dismantle Denis Shapovalov, and 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka produced one of the matches of the tournament, a five-set epic that showed the young guns exactly how it works under pressure.

Elsewhere, Tomáš Macháč’s solid start to 2026 continued with another decisive win over the ever-beleaguered Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton went through effectively.

Off the court, however, tennis again took a back seat in parts of the press room, with political activists masquerading as tennis columnists trying to draw players into flag-based talking points, “What’s it like to play under the American flag?” an increasingly familiar sideshow that provides little insight and even less relevance to the sport itself. Time for a clarification.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Day 5 results, key matches and highlights.

Day Five 2026 Australian Open Round of 64 Results

Key matches

Tomáš Macháč def. Stefanos Tsitsipas (31) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5)

Czech Tomáš Macháč (fresh from an Adelaide title and a win over Dimitrov) knocked out former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets.

Was it an upset? Based on seeding, technically, but based on form and true ranking, not at all. Tsitsipas has not reached R3 at a Slam since 2024, and his struggles continue.

Stan Wawrinka (WC) def. Arthur Gea (Q) 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(3)

At 40, Stan Wawrinka delivered an epic 4hr 33min five-set comeback over French qualifier Arthur Gea, saving the day with a clutch super tiebreak in the fifth. He is the first 40+ year old in R3 since 1978 (Ken Rosewall), and some of his backhands were next level.

He advances against Taylor Fritz in R3. The end of his run? Probably, but the legend status was confirmed.

Novak Djokovic (4) def. Francesco Maestrelli (Q) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Novak Djokovic (38) cruised past Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in straight sets, and he looks in good form. Unproven as his two opponents haven’t been great, but he’s one win away from 400 Grand Slam wins overall, and if he can get to the second week with plenty of gas in the tank, then you can’t rule him out.

Djokovic next faces Botic van de Zandschulp, where he is a heavy favorite and as Federer once said, the best players are the best players, and Novak has looked sharper than last season in that regard.

It felt like two completely different tournaments played at night [round one] and day today, especially with the wind which I think has been blowing this year more than any other year I’ve played here in Australia. I have to adjust to that and adjust to a different opponent with a big serve, but overall it’s good. I’m happy with how I move and hit the ball Djokovic on his win.

Jannik Sinner (2) def. James Duckworth (WC) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

Defending champion Jannik Sinner dominated Aussie wildcard James Duckworth in straight sets, extending his AO winning streak. It’s impossible to see how anyone with Duckworth’s style of play could ever pose a problem, and Sinner was unfazed, saving all three break points he faced to advance with ease.

Other notable matches include Ethan Quinn’s major upset of Hubert Hurkacz (6-4, 7-6(5), 6-1); Marin Čilić (37) dismantles Denis Shapovalov in straights; Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud cruising; Eliot Spizzirri won a wild five-setter (6th time this AO a player won in the 0-2 set decider).

Australian Open 2026 Day 6 round of 32 matches