Welcome to Day 4 of the Australian Open 2026, where excitement is in the air! Known affectionately as the ‘Happy Slam’, this year's tournament has brought joy to many, especially young American player Learner Tien, who has made it to the third round once again at this prestigious event.
Just a year ago, the then 20-year-old Tien, ranked No.121 globally, pulled off an astonishing upset by qualifying and defeating three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in a dramatic match that extended into the early hours, concluding around 3 AM Melbourne time (for more details, check out this link https://ausopen.com/articles/news/late-night-learner-american-teen-tien-stuns-medvedev-ao-epic).
Originally from California, Tien continued to shine throughout the season, eventually reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. He also secured the runner-up position at the highly competitive ATP 500 event in Beijing, claimed his first ATP title in Metz, and capped off the year with a victory at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. Now boasting a ranking of No.29 and seeded 25th, he has advanced to the third round after a convincing win against Alexander Shevchenko, finishing with scores of 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, and 6-0 at ANZ Arena on Wednesday.
Under the guidance of 1996 Australian Open finalist Michael Chang, Tien is set to face Portugal’s Nuno Borges next, with the possibility of a rematch against Medvedev looming in the Round of 16 on Sunday. Demonstrating his light-hearted nature, Tien humorously noted earlier in the week that video footage of Chang's matches is scarce, quipping, "There's not that much video from way back then."
Wednesday marked the commencement of second-round matches in the upper half of both singles draws, featuring world No. 1 players Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka competing at the iconic Rod Laver Arena. Alcaraz engaged in a gripping battle, needing 78 minutes to clinch the first set before ultimately winning the match in straight sets against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, with final scores of 7-6(4), 6-3, and 6-2. Interestingly, prior to the tournament, Hanfmann proposed to his girlfriend Sofie at the picturesque Red Bluff Lookout nearby.
Alcaraz, who is scheduled to meet French player Corentin Moutet on Friday, shared that he has been enjoying some leisure time playing golf with the legendary Roger Federer during his days off, describing Federer’s golfing finesse as “beautiful” (for more, see https://ausopen.com/articles/news/lobs-and-volleys-ao-2026-day-4).
Two-time champion Sabalenka kept her momentum going as she progressed effortlessly through the draw, overpowering Chinese qualifier Zhuoxuan Bai in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-1. Remarkably, Sabalenka has now won 45 out of her last 50 sets played at the Australian Open (check more here: https://ausopen.com/articles/news/45-last-50-sets-sabalenka-elite-company-ao26).
However, Sabalenka will not face off against Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the third round, as Raducanu became the only seeded player to exit the women’s draw on Day 4 after losing to Anastasia Potapova, with scores of 7-6(3) and 6-2.
For players seated at the top of the WTA rankings, it was largely a day without stress, as stars like Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and Victoria Mboko all successfully advanced to the third round. Gauff displayed an impressive performance, only dropping four games in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. Meanwhile, Andreeva cruised past former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari in just over an hour, winning 6-0, 6-4.
Svitolina, who captured the Auckland title in the lead-up to the Australian Open, has now won all seven of her matches this year, including Wednesday’s solid win over young Polish player Linda Klimovicova, finishing 7-5, 6-1 (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0-bCBdn7E). Canadian star Mboko also advanced smoothly, beating American Caty McNally in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, setting up a match against 14th seed Clara Tauson. Additionally, No. 7 seed Paolini triumphed in a rain-interrupted contest against Magdalena Frech later in the day (see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InxT6Tf8pG4).
The top seeds in the men's draw had their share of challenges as well. Home favorite Alex De Minaur faced a tough contest but ultimately prevailed against Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic with a scoreline of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, and 6-1 under the lights at Rod Laver Arena. He is set to clash with American Frances Tiafoe, who won his match against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana in four sets (more about that match can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYKIPc8cgAE).
Newly minted ATP top 10 player Alexander Bublik continued his fantastic start to the season, winning 7-5, 6-4, and 7-5 against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, following his recent title win in Hong Kong. With this victory, Bublik remains undefeated this season at six wins.
Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev each required four sets to secure their places in the Round of 32 (for insights on their matches, visit https://ausopen.com/articles/news/medvedev-pal-rublev-drop-sets-advance-third-round), with Rublev sharing his personal routine for recovery during his downtime in Australia: "Ice bath and then coffee, sleep, coffee, sleep, practice and sleep," he told on-court interviewer Colin Fleming after his match against Portugal’s Jaime Faria.
In one of the most thrilling matches of the day, the dynamic Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina battled fiercely against Reilly Opelka, emerging victorious in a tightly contested fifth set, with the final score of 6-4 after nearly four hours of play. Fokina is set to face Tommy Paul on Friday.
