The Australian Open is upon us, and tennis fans are flocking to Melbourne for the annual event. It’s bound to be a good racket!
You can find out everything you need to know about the event from the schedule times and food options here.
But who are the major players, and who are the top picks to win?
Read on for who the Australian Open 2026 seeds are…
What is a “seed”?
For the uninitiated, in tennis, a seed is a player who is ranked highly enough to be given a protected position in the tournament draw.
“Seeding” is designed to ensure the best players don’t meet each other in the early rounds, which keeps the competition balanced and the later stages stronger. The highest-ranked players are the top seeds (i.e. number 1 seed, number 2 seed, etc.). The draw is arranged so that the top two seeds can only meet in the final, and the third and fourth can only meet the top two in the semi-final. Lower seeds are spread throughout the draw to avoid early clashes.
Seeds are based on a player’s world ranking at a set cut-off date before the tournament. Being seeded doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, but it gives players a more favourable path on paper.
Grand Slams, like the Australian Open, have 32 seeds.
Unseeded players can still play in tennis tournaments because seeding only affects where players are placed in the draw, not who is allowed to enter. You don’t need to be seeded to play; you just need to qualify for entry. For instance, in this year’s Australian Open, Katie Boulter is unseeded but is still in the draw.
Entry is about who gets into the tournament. Seeding is about how the draw is arranged.
Who are the main-draw seeds for the Australian Open 2026?
Below is the seed ranking for the 2026 Australian Open. Australian Alex de Minaur is seeded 6th in the men’s and Maya Joint is seeded 30th. Alex’s seed at number 6 is the highest position achieved by an Australian male since Lleyton Hewitt was ranked in the top 10 in mid‑2006.
| MEN | SEED | WOMEN |
| Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) | 1 | Aryna Sabalenka |
| Jannik Sinner (ITA) | 2 | Iga Swiatek (POL) |
| Alexander Zverev (GER) | 3 | Coco Gauff (USA) |
| Novak Djokovic (SRB) | 4 | Amanda Anisimova (USA) |
| Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) | 5 | Elena Rybakina (KAZ) |
| Alex de Minaur (AUS) | 6 | Jessica Pegula (USA) |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) | 7 | Jasmine Paolini (ITA) |
| Ben Shelton (USA) | 8 | Mirra Andreeva |
| Taylor Fritz (USA) | 9 | Madison Keys (USA) |
| Alexander Bublik (KAZ) | 10 | Belinda Bencic (SUI) |
| Daniil Medvedev | 11 | Ekaterina Alexandrova |
| Casper Ruud (NOR) | 12 | Elina Svitolina (UKR) |
| Andrey Rublev | 13 | Linda Noskova (CZE) |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) | 14 | Clara Tauson (DEN) |
| Karen Khachanov | 15 | Emma Navarro (USA) |
| Jakub Mensik (CZE) | 16 | Naomi Osaka (JPN) |
| Jiri Lehecka (CZE) | 17 | Victoria Mboko (CAN) |
| Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) | 18 | Liudmila Samsonova |
| Tommy Paul (USA) | 19 | Karolina Muchova (CZE) |
| Flavio Cobolli (ITA) | 20 | Marta Kostyuk (UKR) |
| Denis Shapovalov (CAN) | 21 | Elise Mertens (BEL) |
| Luciano Darderi (ITA) | 22 | Leylah Fernandez (CAN) |
| Tallon Griekspoor (NED) | 23 | Diana Shnaider |
| Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) | 24 | Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) |
| Learner Tien (USA) | 25 | Paula Badosa (ESP) |
| Cameron Norrie (GBR) | 26 | Dayana Yastremska (UKR) |
| Brandon Nakashima (USA) | 27 | Sofia Kenin (USA) |
| Joao Fonseca (BRA) | 28 | Emma Raducanu (GBR) |
| Frances Tiafoe (USA) | 29 | Iva Jovic (USA) |
| Valentin Vacherot (MON) | 30 | Maya Joint (AUS) |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) | 31 | Anna Kalinskaya |
| Corentin Moutet (FRA) | 32 | Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) |
Who are the top contenders for the Australian Open win in 2026?
On the men’s side, two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner is definitely one to watch. However, he just lost the 1 Point Slam against an amateur tennis coach from Sydney, Jordan Smith, so anything could happen.
Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are also among the top contenders. While Alex de Minaur, Australia’s highest-seeded man in two decades, will carry the home crowd’s hopes.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka returns as the defending champion, with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff rounding out the top three seeds. Madison Keys, last year’s surprise winner, is back as the No. 9 seed, while Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka are also in contention.
