Australian Open 2026 LIVE: De Minaur Kicks Off Quest, Gauff & Swiatek in Action

Australian Priscilla Hon has had a tricky start to her Australian Open campaign. She’s lost the first set 6-1 in her round one match against Canadian Marina Stakusic. Stakusic battled through qualifying to make the draw this year, while Hon was given one of the wildcards. The 27-year-old Australian is ranked No.121 in the world, and her best performance in Melbourne was a round two appearance back in 2020. She was able to find some form towards the end of last year, though, making the third round of the 2025 US Open. What a win for Australian Storm Hunter. Last year she was in commentary, trying to come back from an Achilles injury. Today, she’s just had one of the biggest wins of her career against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro , 6-4, 6-4. Here’s what she said after her straight-sets victory: “Oh my gosh, I don’t know what to say. I’m just so full of joy being out here playing. Win or lose, I don’t really care, I just want to come out and enjoy it and put on a good show for everyone out here, and I’m just happy I’m playing good tennis. “I’m just so happy to be here. It’s hard to put into words [everything I’ve been through], but I ruptured my Achilles in 2024. I was at my career-best ranking, No.3 in the world in doubles and almost Top 100 singles. And, you know, coming back from an Achilles rupture is really tough mentally and physically, all the training. “To be back here playing good tennis, I didn’t think I could be back playing at this level again, and I’m just so happy that all the hard work I’ve done with my team, it’s paid off. I can’t believe I get another singles match, it’s crazy.” Once, only the wealthiest players could afford to crunch the numbers on every opponent’s strengths, weaknesses and habits. Now, with such data widely available, it’s possible for many more to gain a winning edge before even walking onto the court. Simon Rea is Tennis Australia’s head of game analysis. He leads a team of six people, with numbers boosted by data-adept casuals over summer. New-Zealand born Rea, 43, is a former tennis player and coach who now humbly accepts the title of tennis nerd. Rea says tennis players “need to embrace the arm-wrestle because that’s what it is”. The slightest edge – something as simple as predicting an opponent’s serve on big points – can be crucial. That’s where data helps. Rea talks of the gladiatorial nature of singles tennis: it’s one-on-one combat, like boxing without the blood. Knowing where the next punch is coming from may mean the difference between victory and defeat. Click here to read more about how data influences performance and which players and coaches look to numbers to help them win. Now that the Open’s cheekily rebranded “Opening Week” has ended (with three times the crowds who used to come to the old “Qualifying Week”), the actual tournament started on Sunday. But did any of the galaxy of famous creatures, sports stars, captains of industry, Melebrities and legends of their own Instagram feed attending Melbourne Park actually extricate themselves from the corporate hospitality to watch any of the tennis? On Sunday night, new kid on the block and freshly minted Tennis Australia chair Chris Harrop made his corporate hospitality debut hosting some of the biggest names at an exclusive dinner at Tennis Australia’s rooftop “O” venue, accessible only via a concealed lift and premium lanyard. Invitees were treated to a multi-course dinner of jasmine-poached rock lobster or Mayura Station Wagyu rump cap before they were shepherded down a small passageway that opened out with direct access to the best seats in the house at Rod Laver Arena. Harrop graciously invited his predecessor as chair, Jayne Hrdlicka, who must have enjoyed the chance to watch her first AO match in 10 years just for the fun of it. Check out the gallery below to see which celebrities were at the Open on Sunday as we keep our eyes peeled for those attending today and throughout the tournament. Read more in our Open Season column here. Well, after a slow start to the opening set where she was down 0-3 in 11 minutes, Australian Storm Hunter has completely turned this match around. Hunter has just taken the first set 6-4 against Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in 41 minutes. A very impressive and gutsy performance from Hunter so far. Her opponent is a powerful ball-striker, and there was a moment where I thought Hunter was going to be hit off the court, but she’s found her momentum and dug into this match to now take a one-set lead. The winner of this match will take on Hailey Baptiste in the second round. Elsewhere, American Peyton Stearns has taken the first set 6-3 against her fellow countrywoman and former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.World No.3 Coco Gauff is up 2-0 in her round one match against Kamilla Rakhimova and American Emma Navarro has won the first set 6-3 against Poland’s Magda Linette. Both tennis figures are Asian-American, both call California home and both have made big inroads in tennis at a young age. Rising star Learner Tien, who shocked Daniil Medvedev last year at the Australian Open on the way to the fourth round, joined forces with Michael Chang midway through 2025, signing the American great as his new coach. Tien, 20, had another breakout season last year, improving his ranking to as high as world No.26, winning his first ATP title and ruling the roost at the Next Generation ATP Finals, which showcases the game’s young stars. The left-hander is happy with his progression, delivering on a goal to win his first title before his 20th birthday, and agrees that last year’s second-round win over Medvedev – a near five-hour match that finished in the early hours – was a significant moment. “That match actually got me into the Top 100. I started to feel more and more like I belonged,” said Learner, who has Vietnamese heritage, ahead of his Australian Open first-round match against countryman Marcos Giron this afternoon. Chang, a former world No.2 and the youngest man in history to win a singles major – the 1989 French Open title – doesn’t want to put a ceiling on Learner’s potential this year. “For me personally … if you look at this past year, Learner’s beaten more Top 10 guys than anybody else apart from Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner],” Chang said. “When you’ve beaten Top 10 guys … that should give you some confidence. “For me as a coach, for me personally, I have that belief in him as a person [and] in his game – obviously he’s still learning a lot, he’s still growing a lot, he’s still improving. “But I think it’s been pretty incredible for him to go through a first full season and accomplish what he has accomplished in such a short period of time.” Learner and Chang’s paths first crossed a little over a year ago in Hong Kong. As they learnt about each other last year, joining forces seemed the right choice. “Some aspects (of our relationship and similarities) makes it a little bit easier. We can talk about things that are in Orange County. He knows what I’m talking about, and I know what he’s talking about,” Chang said. “The one thing that actually has been quite nice is that Learner’s very cerebral, so he’s a thinker out there (on the court), which is very similar to how my mind works. “I’ve always been a little bit before [inclined to] … over-share about different things, whether it was, you know, technically or strategically. “But Learner doesn’t have an issue with that. He absorbs things very well, he understands things very well. So that’s been refreshing for me as a coach because I don’t have to hold back.” Tien wasn’t even born when Chang retired in 2003, seven years after he lost the Australian Open final to Boris Becker. Tien said his agent did most of the “heavy lifting” when he secured Chang. “I think it’s been a great fit so far,” he said.