Alcaraz, Sabalenka to headline Australian Open draw as top seeds

Melbourne, Jan 14 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka are the top seeds for the Australian Open 2026, headlining the men’s and women’s singles draws to be revealed on Thursday, with the main draw action commencing on Sunday.

In men’s singles, Alcaraz heads the seedings following a strong 2025 season. Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy is seeded second. A seeding position ensures that, should Sinner and Alcaraz keep winning, they can only meet in the final.

Should Alcaraz and Sinner meet in the summit clash, it would be the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final featuring the Italian and the Spaniard and their first meet at the Australian Open.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev is the third seed, marking the second straight year he, Alcaraz and Sinner have made up the top three seeds, while 10-time champion Novak Djokovic begins his 21st Australian Open campaign as the No. 4 seed.

Newly minted top-five player Lorenzo Musetti of Italy rounds out the top five men’s seeds.

In the women’s draw, Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the top three seeds for the second consecutive year. Last year at Melbourne Park, Sabalenka and Swiatek were one point away from facing off in a No.1 and No.2 final, a match-up that remains a possibility in 2026 given their top two seeding positions.

American Amanda Anisimova is seeded fourth, with Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan fifth and Jessica Pegula sixth. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva. Defending champion Madison Keys is back as the ninth seed and is one of four American women in the top 10, along with Gauff, Anisimova, and Pegula.

Moreover, 30th seed Maya Joint becomes the first Australian woman to be seeded since Ash Barty won the 2022 Australian Open as the top seed.

The women’s draw also features former champions and notable players such as Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Sofia Kenin, and Marketa Vondrousova, among the 32 seeded players.

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