Day nine of the 2026 Australian Open concluded the quarter-final line-up with Lorenzo Musetti producing one of the best serving performances of his career to dismantle Taylor Fritz and reach his first Australian Open quarter-final, completing the run of last eight appearances in all four majors.
Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run in Melbourne by overpowering Luciano Darderi in an all-Italian clash, while Ben Shelton edged past Casper Ruud to book another quarter-final in Australia.
Novak Djokovic advanced without stepping onto the court after Jakub Menšík withdrew injured, sending the Serb straight into the last eight and setting up a familiar matchup with Musetti.
With the business end of the tournament now locked in, Melbourne is shifting fully into heavyweight mode.
Australian Open 2026 Results Day 9
| Winner | Loser | Do |
|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo Musetti (5) | Taylor Fritz (9) | 6-2 7-5 6-4 |
| Novak Djokovic (4) | Jakub Menšík (16) | Walkover |
| Ben Shelton (8) | Casper Ruud (12) | 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 |
| Jannik Sinner (2) | Luciano Darderi (22) | 6-1 6-3 7-6(2) |
Daily summary
Lorenzo Musetti (5) def. Taylor Fritz (9) 6-2, 7-5, 6-4
Lorenzo Musetti completed the streak of reaching the quarterfinals of all four majors (his first AO QF) with a commanding straight sets victory over Taylor Fritz in 2 hours and 3 minutes.
Musetti fired 13 aces (one of his career bests), won 84% of first-serve points, smashed 33 winners and broke Fritz multiple times (including at love at 5-5 in set 2 and early in set 3). He showed no fatigue from his previous five-set epic (against Machac), dictating with heavy topspin forehand, variation and aggressive net/drop strokes.
Fritz struggled (42% first-serve in set 1, 0/2 break points converted), called physio at 3-2 in set 2 for oblique issues (k-tape on both sides), and admitted to post-match knee inflammation flare-up (“didn’t feel good from the start”, pulled up on shots, despite not charging hard enough) serve/neutralization.
I couldn’t believe Fritz was the betting favorite a couple of days ago, so Musetti was an easy value bet. He advances to face Novak Djokovic in the QF (Djokovic leads H2H 9-1, on a six-game winning streak against Musetti).
I believe today [my serve] It worked really well, I think I did one of my best aces performances in my career so far, so I’m really, really happy. When I finished last season quite late, the goals were to start well this year, because I had never surpassed the first week here. Goes to finals in Hong Kong, wins doubles in Hong Kong [with Lorenzo Sonego] and to now be in the quarter-finals for me is really a dream. Musetti on his performance
Match statistics
| Key statistics | Lorenzo Musetti | Taylor Fritz |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 33 | 23 |
| Unforced errors | 24 | 34 |
| Ace | 13 | 10 |
| Double mistake | 2 | 1 |
| 1st serving % | 68% (55/81) | 60% (50/84) |
| 1st Serve point won | 84% (46/55) | 64% (32/50) |
| 2nd serve point won | 69% (18/26) | 56% (19/34) |
| Breakpoints saved | 100% (2/2) | 56% (5/9) |
| 1st return point won | 36% (18/50) | 16% (9/55) |
| 2nd return point won | 44% (15/34) | 31% (8/26) |
| Break point won | 44% (4/9) | 0% (0/2) |
| Return game | 27% (4/15) | 0% (0/15) |
| Pressure points | 55% (6/11) | 45% (5/11) |
| Service points | 79% (64/81) | 61% (51/84) |
| Return points | 39% (33/84) | 21% (17/81) |
| Net points | 73% (11/15) | 56% (9/16) |
| Total points | 59% (97/165) | 41% (68/165) |
| Match point saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max points in a row | 15 | 5 |
| Total game | 63% (19/30) | 37% (11/30) |
| Max games in a row | 5 | 1 |
Highlights
Jannik Sinner (2) def. Luciano Darderi (22) 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2)
Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner claimed dominance in an all-Italian clash, reaching his fourth AO quarter-final.
Sinner blasted a career-high 19 aces (no double faults), hit 46 winners (vs. Darderis’ 33), won 75.6% (65/86) of service points and extended his perfect record against fellow Italians to a tour-level 18-0.
Darderi had no hard court record to speak of before these two weeks, while Sinner has bested them for two years, so I expected nothing but a straight-sets win.
Sinner dictated from the baseline with precision, but at least he encountered some late resistance: Darderi aggressively went up 4-4 in set 3 (earning four break points and leading 2-0 in the tiebreak), yet Sinner won seven straight points to slam the door shut.
After the match, Sinner admitted he was “very tight” after missing early break chances in Set 3, called Darderi a “good friend” (though he said they had only practiced once the other day) and praised offseason service adjustments. He noted he felt “very tired” from earlier heat but said cooler temperatures helped.
Match statistics
| Key statistics | Luciano Darderi | Jannik Sinner |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 33 | 46 |
| Unforced errors | 32 | 16 |
| Ace | 11 | 19 |
| Double mistake | 5 | 0 |
| 1st serving % | 57% (55/97) | 72% (62/86) |
| 1st Serve point won | 73% (40/55) | 81% (50/62) |
| 2nd serve point won | 40% (17/42) | 63% (15/24) |
| Breakpoints saved | 50% (4/8) | 100% (6/6) |
| 1st return point won | 19% (12/62) | 27% (15/55) |
| 2nd return point won | 38% (9/24) | 60% (25/42) |
| Break point won | 0% (0/6) | 50% (4/8) |
| Return game | 0% (0/14) | 29% (4/14) |
| Pressure points | 29% (4/14) | 71% (10/14) |
| Service points | 59% (57/97) | 76% (65/86) |
| Return points | 24% (21/86) | 41% (40/97) |
| Net points | 67% (6/9) | 75% (15/20) |
| Total points | 43% (78/183) | 57% (105/183) |
| Match point saved | 2 | 0 |
| Max points in a row | 6 | 8 |
| Total game | 36% (10/28) | 64% (18/28) |
| Max games in a row | 1 | 5 |
Highlights
Ben Shelton (8) def. Casper Ruud (12) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Ben Shelton rallied from a set down to reach his third AO quarter-final in four appearances, winning 97% (29/30) of net points, dropping just three points on serve in the fourth set and finishing strongly with many eye-catching winners.
Ruud started out dominant on serve, but broke late in sets 2 and 3 (costly breaks conceded), allowing Shelton to take the momentum, from which he never looked back.
Shelton has definitely improved his game management of late, but I’m still struggling to see him win enough rebound points against Sinner in their quarter-final. We’ll see if Ruud was an easy pick, as he’s not really a formidable foe in Australia, or if Shelton’s game is a level up from last year.
Match statistics
| Key statistics | Ben Shelton | Casper Ruud |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 55 | 23 |
| Unforced errors | 45 | 33 |
| Ace | 14 | 9 |
| Double mistake | 4 | 6 |
| 1st serving % | 66% (63/96) | 71% (89/125) |
| 1st Serve point won | 83% (52/63) | 66% (59/89) |
| 2nd serve point won | 73% (24/33) | 61% (22/36) |
| Breakpoints saved | 67% (2/3) | 73% (8/11) |
| 1st return point won | 34% (30/89) | 17% (11/63) |
| 2nd return point won | 39% (14/36) | 27% (9/33) |
| Break point won | 27% (3/11) | 33% (1/3) |
| Return game | 16% (3/19) | 5% (1/19) |
| Pressure points | 36% (5/14) | 64% (9/14) |
| Service points | 79% (76/96) | 65% (81/125) |
| Return points | 35% (44/125) | 21% (20/96) |
| Net points | 97% (29/30) | 52% (21/11) |
| Total points | 54% (120/221) | 46% (101/221) |
| Match point saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max points in a row | 5 | 5 |
| Total game | 55% (21/38) | 45% (17/38) |
| Max games in a row | 3 | 3 |
Highlights
Australian Open 2026 Day 10 round of quarter-final matches
- Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Alex de Minaur (6)
- Alexander Zverev (3) vs Learner Tien (25)
