Featured matches, Tuesday 27th January
Women's singles quarter-finals
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Iva Jovic (29) | Rod Laver Arena, 01:30 CET
Coco Gauff (3) vs Elina Svitolina (12) | Rod Laver Arena, 09:00 CET
Men's singles quarter-finals
Alexander Zverev (3) vs Learner Tien (25) | Rod Laver Arena, 03:30 CET
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Alex de Minaur (6) | Rod Laver Arena, 10:30 CET
Sabalenka vs Jovic - 01:30 CET
Match News and Form
Aryna Sabalenka raced away to a set and 4-1 lead in just 45 minutes and looked destined for a quick win over 17th seed Victoria Mboko in the fourth round. Ultimately, she faced stiff late resistance from the Canadian teenager, stood two points from losing the second set, and finally prevailed 6-1, 7-6.
While she has refused to lose a set in 2026 so far, Sabalenka has been pushed into the tiebreak in three of her last four. She had a difficult time in removing Anastasia Potapova 7-6, 7-6, in the third round, but extends her perfect start to the year to a 9-0 win-loss record after defending the title in Brisbane.
Iva Jovic, who made her WTA ranking debut less than three years ago, is going from strength to strength in her stunning breakthrough on tour. At the age of 18, she has stormed into the Australian Open quarter-finals without losing a set, beating the likes of seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and Yulia Putintseva en route.
Jovic, the 2024 Australian Open junior doubles title winner, won titles at W100 Charlottesville and WTA 125 Ilkley last year to set up the platform for her rise. Kicking things off with a third-round run in Cincinnati, the teenager has since gone on to become the champion in Guadalajara, a semi-finalist in Auckland and a finalist in Hobart.
Head to Head
This will be their first meeting.
Stats & Facts
- Jovic is the youngest woman to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals without losing a set since Venus Williams in 1998.
- Jovic is the youngest player to reach the quarter-finals in her first three WTA tournaments in a calendar year since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
- Jovic was 0-3 against top-10 players until her third-round win over Paolini (6-2, 7-6) and holds a 3-0 record in tour-level quarter-finals.
- Sabalenka owns a near-perfect 12-1 record in Grand Slam quarter-finals, with the lone defeat coming to Mirra Andreeva at 2024 Roland-Garros.
- Sabalenka has won 24 of her last 25 matches at the Australian Open, though lost to an American, Madison Keys, in the 2025 final.
Betting Analysis
Jovic stands 11-2 in the 2026 season while Sabalenka is 9-0. While both players have been immensely impressive, it is self-evident that the Belarusian is the heavy favourite to end the teenager's run.
Sabalenka in 2026
Best results: Brisbane (title)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Brisbane (title)
Record: 9-0
Record in the last 10 matches: 9-1
Record on outdoor hard courts: 9-0
Record against top 30: 4-0 (career 147-81)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 12-1)
Sabalenka at the Australian Open
Career record: 32-6
Best result: title (2023-24)
Last year's result: final
Record in quarter-finals: 3-0
Preparation: Brisbane (title)
Road to the quarter-finals: Rakotomanga Rajaonah (6-4, 6-1), Zhuoxuan Bai (6-3, 6-1), Potapova (7-6, 7-6), Mboko (6-1, 7-6)
Jovic in 2026
Best results: Hobart (final)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Hobart (final)
Record: 11-2
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on outdoor hard courts: 11-2
Record against top 10: 1-0 (career 1-3)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Jovic at the Australian Open
Career record: 5-1
Best result: quarterfinals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 64
Record in quarter-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Auckland (semi-finals), Hobart (final)
Road to the quarterfinals: Volynets (6-2, 6-3), Hon (6-1, 6-2), (7) Paolini (6-2, 7-6), Putintseva (6-0, 6-1)
Gauff vs Svitolina - 09:00 CET
Match News and Form
Coco Gauff becomes the youngest US woman to reach three consecutive Australian Open quarter-finals since 1990-93, but the journey was far from straightforward. After defeating Kamilla Rakhimova and Olga Danilovic in straight sets, the American ended up needing the scenic route against Hailey Baptiste and Karolina Muchova.
While her 2025 season was highlighted with clay-court results - finals in Madrid and Rome, and a title at Roland-Garros - Gauff continues to be super impressive on hard courts. It is evident by her 24-7 performance since late July, which has come to include a WTA 1000 title in Wuhan and a semi-final in Beijing.
Elina Svitolina was very much the underdog against Mirra Andreeva but defied the odds to defeat the teenager 6-2, 6-4 and equal her 2025 Melbourne result. The 31-year-old has returned to the quarter-finals without losing a set, even if she came pretty close against Linda Klimovicova and Diana Shnaider.
After failing to win more than one match in 2025 after her quarter-final run in Montreal, Svitolina has responded with a 9-0 start to the 2026 calendar year. The Ukrainian was recently crowned the champion at Auckland WTA 250, her first hard-court title since August 2021, and now looks to finally clear the quarter-final hurdle in Melbourne.
Head-to-Head
Coco Gauff leads 2-1. After losing their 2021 encounter at the Australian Open, the American reacted with three-set victories in Auckland and the US Open in the 2024 season.
Stats & Facts
- Gauff has won five of her previous nine Grand Slam quarter-final matches to date, but not the latest one at the Australian Open in 2025 (l. Paula Badosa).
- Until her fourth-round win over Muchova, Gauff was on a five-match losing streak against top-20 players at the Australian Open.
- Svitolina has a losing record in 10 of 13 Grand Slam quarter-final matches, including in all three such affairs at the Australian Open (2018-19, 2025).
- Svitolina has lost five of six clashes with top-three players in majors, only beating Iga Swiatek at 2023 Wimbledon.
Betting Analysis
Gauff is expected to prevail in this encounter with the vastly experienced Svitolina. However, the Ukrainian will likely emerge as the toughest opponent Gauff has faced so far this fortnight.
Gauff in 2026
Best results: first individual tournament
Best results on outdoor hard courts: first individual tournament
Record: 7-1
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on outdoor hard courts: 7-1
Record against top 20: 2-0 (career 56-51)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 5-4)
Gauff at the Australian Open
Career record: 20-6
Best result: semi-finals (2024)
Last year's result: quarter-finals
Record in quarter-finals: 1-1
Preparation: United Cup (record 3-1)
Road to the quarter-finals: Rakhimova (6-2, 6-3), Danilovic (6-2, 6-2), Baptiste (3-6, 6-0, 6-3), Muchova (6-1, 3-6, 6-3)
Svitolina in 2026
Best results: Auckland (title)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Auckland (title)
Record: 9-0
Record in the last 10 matches: 9-1
Record on outdoor hard courts: 9-0
Record against top 10: 1-0 (career 44-57)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 3-10)
Svitolina at the Australian Open
Career record: 33-12
Best result: quarter-finals (2018-19, 2025-26)
Last year's result: quarter-finals
Record in quarter- finals: 0-3
Preparation: Auckland (title)
Road to the quarter- finals: Bucsa (6-4, 6-1), Klimovicova (7-5, 6-1), Shnaider (7-6, 6-3), M. Andreeva (6-2, 6-4)
Zverev vs Tien - 03:30 CET
Match News and Form
Alexander Zverev is peaking at exactly the right moment at this year’s Australian Open, a phase of the tournament where consistency has often escaped him in the past.
He arrived in Melbourne underwhelming and laboured through the opening week, dropping sets to Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Müller, and Cameron Norrie. However, once the second week began, Zverev produced his best performance in months, dismantling Francisco Cerúndolo 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. It was a statement win, especially given the difficulties that matchup caused him last season.
Another factor that has long eluded Zverev is fortune, the kind of timely luck even the greatest champions need to win Grand Slams. Historically, those breaks have rarely gone his way, playing a quiet role in his major drought. In Melbourne this fortnight, though, that pattern has shifted slightly, with Zverev avoiding Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals, a long-standing mental hurdle for him regardless of form. With that obstacle removed, Zverev’s chances of reaching a third consecutive semi-final at the Australian Open have risen sharply.
A major challenge facing Learner Tien entering the 2026 season was whether he could consolidate the gains of a breakout 2025 rather than slide backwards. Early signs have been emphatic.
By reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open, he matched last year’s Melbourne breakthrough, then took a clear step forward by comprehensively outplaying former finalist Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16. The level jump was glaringly visible, given that beating Medvedev here last year took five sets and nearly five hours.
While the American youngster has impressed since breaking onto the main tour in January 2025, his latest two results point to a meaningful shift. Straight-sets wins over Nuno Borges in R3 and Daniil Medvedev in the R16 stand out because efficiency has rarely been his calling card. Much of Tien’s success has come through relentless, grinding battles that raised doubts about long-term sustainability at the top. Before this fortnight, Tien had managed just two straight-sets wins in Grand Slam main draws across his entire career, yet he has already matched that tally in the last two rounds alone.
Head-to-Head
Tied at 1-1. Tien drew first blood early in 2025 at ATP Acapulco, where Zverev - along with several other top players - was reportedly affected by food poisoning, which partially compromised that result. A few months later, Zverev levelled the rivalry at the French Open with a dominant straight-sets win, exploiting Tien’s limited exposure to European clay conditions.
Stats & Facts
- Zverev is making his fifth Australian Open quarter-final appearance, holding a strong 3-1 record at this stage in Melbourne, with his only loss coming against Novak Djokovic in a tight four-set contest in 2021.
- Across all Grand Slams, Zverev owns a positive 9-6 quarter-final record, with all six defeats having come against top-20 opponents only, while he is a perfect 4-0 when facing players ranked outside the top 20.
- Tien makes his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final appearance, and regardless of the outcome, he is guaranteed a new career-high ranking next Monday. A victory would push him inside the live top 20.
- Tien is currently 1-3 against top-10 opponents at Grand Slams, with his lone win coming against Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open in 2025.
Betting Analysis
Tien is a high-IQ competitor whose in-match management can frustrate players like Medvedev and Zverev, both of whom can struggle with problem-solving when an opponent refuses to go away. Zverev, backed by experience and a strong track record in Melbourne, is the rightful favourite here, but the likelihood of Tien going down without a fight is low.
From a betting perspective, value lies in expecting a competitive contest by targeting Tien over 18.5 games, along with the +1.5 sets and +2.5 sets handicaps.
Zverev in 2026
Best results: first individual tournament
Best results on outdoor hard courts: first individual tournament
Record: 5-1
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on outdoor hard courts: 5-1
Record against top 30: 2-0 (career 174-138)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 9-6)
Zverev at the Australian Open
Career record: 35-10
Best result: final (2025)
Last year's result: final
Record in quarter-finals: 3-1
Preparation: United Cup (record 1-1)
Road to the quarter-finals: Diallo (6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2), Muller (6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4), (26) Norrie (7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1), F. Cerundolo (6-2, 6-4, 6-4)
Tien in 2026
Best results: Australian Open (quarter-finals)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Australian Open (quarter-finals)
Record: 5-1
Record in the last 10 matches: 9-1
Record on outdoor hard courts: 5-1
Record against top 10: 0-0 (career 5-4)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Tien at the Australian Open
Career record: 7-1
Best result: quarter-finals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 16
Record in quarter-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Brisbane (round of 16)
Road to the quarterf-inals: Giron (7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2), Shevchenko (6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0), Borges (7-6, 6-4, 6-2), Medvedev (6-4, 6-0, 6-3)
Alcaraz vs De Minaur - 10:30 CET
Match News and Form
Carlos Alcaraz faced his stiffest test of the fortnight against Tommy Paul in the round of 16, with the American keeping conditions uncomfortable and rallies tight throughout. Still, Alcaraz absorbed the pressure and closed it out in straight sets, preserving a flawless set record at this Australian Open with 12 wins from 12. It continues a seamless start to 2026, as he is now 5-0 for the season, including an exhibition victory over rival Jannik Sinner earlier this month.
Up next comes a defining hurdle for Alcaraz, and one that has been a clear objective from day one here in Melbourne: finally breaking through the quarter-final barrier. It is a stage that has repeatedly stopped him at the Australian Open, with two exits at this point across his previous runs. Those defeats came against fellow top-10 players too, Zverev in 2024 and Djokovic in 2025.
Alex De Minaur faced serious danger in the round of 16 against the red-hot and unbeaten-in-2026 Alexander Bublik, who had beaten him twice last season at Roland Garros and the Paris Masters. This time, backed by home support, De Minaur flipped the script emphatically, conceding just six games in a ruthless display of control and intensity. It was a statement win and exactly the kind of confidence boost he needed heading into a colossal test against world number one Alcaraz.
The Aussie #1 knows all about patience at the Grand Slam level, having endured a long, frustrating wait to finally make his maiden quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2025 after three straight round-of-16 exits. Now back in the quarter-finals, he will be hoping the jump from last eight to last four does not demand another drawn-out wait. The challenge, though, is immense, as he faces one of the tournament favourites with plenty at stake.
Head-to-Head
Alcaraz leads 5-0. De Minaur’s struggles against the very elite, particularly players who can consistently overpower him from the baseline, are well documented. That pattern has clearly carried over into his rivalry with Alcaraz, who has won all five of their previous meetings, dropping only two sets in the process.
Stats & Facts
- Alcaraz is unbeaten in Grand Slam quarter-finals as the world #1, winning all three of his appearances, each in straight sets.
- He has dropped just two of his last 11 quarter-finals at this level, with both defeats coming at the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025.
- For De Minaur, this is another attempt to reach a maiden Grand Slam semi-final, with him currently holding a 0-5 record at the quarter-final stage.
- Against top-five opponents at Slams, De Minaur is 1-8, with his lone win coming against a physically compromised Medvedev at the French Open in 2024.
Betting Analysis
De Minaur is 0-18 combined against the current two best players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and he has openly acknowledged the challenges these match-ups present. To his credit, there have been visible signs of progress, with him pushing Alcaraz to a deciding set in Rotterdam last year and contesting tighter, more competitive encounters in Barcelona and at the ATP Finals.
While the breakthrough win has still not arrived, home advantage and a confidence-boosting performance in the previous round put De Minaur in a better position to compete.
Alcaraz should still come through, but De Minaur looks capable of ending the Spaniard’s perfect-set run in Melbourne by taking at least one set.
Alcaraz in 2026
Best results: first tournament
Best results on outdoor hard courts: first tournament
Record: 4-0
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on outdoor hard courts: 4-0
Record against top 10: 0-0 (career 52-24)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 9-4)
Alcaraz at the Australian Open
Career record: 15-4
Best result: quarter-finals (2024-26)
Last year's result: quarter-finals
Record in quarterfinals: 0-2
Preparation: none
Road to the quarter-finals: Walton (6-3, 7-6, 6-2), Hanfmann (7-6, 6-3, 6-2), Moutet (6-2, 6-4, 6-1), Paul (7-6, 6-4, 7-5)
De Minaur in 2026
Best results: first individual tournament
Best results on outdoor hard courts: first individual tournament
Record: 6-1
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on outdoor hard courts: 6-1
Record against top 10: 1-0 (career 21-61)
Record in Grand Slam quarter-finals: 0-0 (career 0-5)
De Minaur at the Australian Open
Career record: 22-8
Best result: quarter-finals (2025-26)
Last year's result: quarter-finals
Record in quarterfinals: 0-1
Preparation: United Cup (record 2-1)
Road to the quarter-finals: McDonald (6-2, 6-2, 6-3), Medjedovic (6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1), Tiafoe (6-3, 6-4, 7-5), Bublik (6-4, 6-1, 6-1)
Tuesday's schedule | Men's singles results | Women's singles results
