Australia already has four women into the second round of the 2026 Australian Open singles, and by the end of Day 3 it will be at least five with another quintet of locals set to hit the courts at Melbourne Park.
Now viewed in isolation, reaching the second round may not seem that big a deal. Yet history strongly suggests otherwise, given the relatively shallow depth of the women’s game in Australia in recent decades.
Yes we’ve had great players, like the legendary Ash Barty and Sam Stosur, who’ve kept us cheering long and proudly.
But according to Tennis Australia, 2026 will be the first time since 1992 that more than four Aussie women have reached the second round of any Grand Slam—and that is big deal, especially with an eye to the future.
Let’s go Aussies, let’s go.
Australian Open LIVE: Schedule, results, scores, updates for AO tennis 2026
Aussie women already into the second round - AO26
- Talia Gibson
- Storm Hunter
- Priscilla Hon
- Ajla Tomljanović
Aussie women in action Day 3 - AO26
- [30] Maya Joint vs. Tereza Valentova (CZE)
- [WC] Taylah Preston (AUS) vs. Shuai Zhang (CHN)
- Daria Kasatkina (AUS) vs. [Q] Nikola Bartunkova (CZE)
- [Q] Maddison Inglis (AUS) vs. Kimberly Birrell (AUS)