Australian Open 2026 Day 1 Summary

Day one of the 2026 Australian Open kicked off on Sunday with all the seeds all but advancing with authoritative showings.

Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign with a controlled straight sets win over Adam Walton to extend his unblemished Slam first-round record, while Alexander Zverev recovered from a sluggish start to avoid an early upset on Rod Laver Arena.

There were also straight set wins for Bublik (10), Cerundolo (18), Tiafoe (29) and Moutet (32)

Elsewhere, the huge upset of the day saw British qualifier Arthur Fery stun 20th seed Flavio Cobolli, and Michael Zheng outlast Sebastian Korda in a five-set marathon.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Day 1 results, the standout performances and some highlights.

Day One 2026 Australian Open Round of 128 Results

Key matches

Carlos Alcaraz (1) def. Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz began his quest for a first Australian Open title (and potential career Grand Slam) with a straight sets victory over local Australian Adam Walton.

Alcaraz, without Ferrero as coach, looked in decent form, his heavier ball making the difference, extending his perfect 20-0 record in the opening rounds of Grand Slams.

Walton pressed hard in the second set and almost built a 4-1 lead before losing it in a tiebreak as Alcaraz’s power proved too much in just over two hours. A convenient opener for the top seed.

It was a good match I guess. I felt great. I think Adam made good shots and played a good level in the match, so I had to stay there at this kind of level. There are difficulties in the first round [so it] was pretty good for me to get ready for the next round. Overall, I am satisfied and happy. It felt like he was a step [more] ahead of me, always in a good position. During many rallies he was solid from the baseline, his flat ball … sometimes it was really difficult for me. It was difficult to get used to the conditions on the course. When he was able to step onto the court and play aggressively, he made it really, really difficult – not just in the second set but in the match in general. Alcaraz on Walton’s level.

Alexander Zverev (3) def. Gabriel Diallo 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

Third seed Alexander Zverev (last year’s finalist) overcame a potential banana skin to drop the first set to Canadian Gabriel Diallo at Rod Laver Arena before storming back to win in 4.

Zverev looked sluggish early, but he bounced back strongly and dominated the next three sets with tight serving and aggressive play.

Arthur Fery def. Flavio Cobolli (20) 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-1

One of the biggest stories of the day was British qualifier Arthur Fery taking down 20th seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets.

If you played the Aus Open Bracket Challenge game, this was undoubtedly a draw for 100% of participants, as it was an impossible pick.

Cobolli was labeled a “clown” by many of the players at X, but he had some kind of stomach problem and ran off the court at the end of the first set for a bathroom break

Michael Zheng def. Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(0), 6-3

Young American qualifier Michael Zheng pulled off another big surprise, beating higher-ranked compatriot Sebastian Korda in a marathon five-setter. Korda hasn’t lived up to the hype of a few years ago, and his stop-start career due to injuries has stalled his progress, despite his very fluid game.

Other notable mentions on the day include Yannick Hanfmann’s 66 winner, Damir Džumhur’s 6-0 set, another strong British performance with Cameron Norrie grinding out a 5-set win, and Bublik continuing his form with a solid straight sets win over Brooksby.

Australian Open 2026 Day 2 Round of 128 matches

And for Federer fans: