Australian Open 2026 Day 4: Alcaraz Survives Scare, Raducanu Exits, and Doubles Drama Unfolds
Melbourne, Australia — The fourth day of the Australian Open 2026 brought a mix of relief, heartbreak, and electrifying tennis to Melbourne Park on January 21. As the tournament heated up, the men’s and women’s singles draws saw top seeds tested and fan favorites falter, while the doubles competition roared to life with frantic action across the outer courts.
Men’s Singles: Alcaraz Digs Deep, De Minaur delights Home Crowd
The headline act on Rod Laver Arena was undoubtedly World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who faced a stern examination in his quest for a maiden Australian Open title and a career Grand Slam. Facing Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in the second round, Alcaraz was pushed to the brink in a marathon first set that lasted 78 minutes.
Hanfmann, employing a strategy of aggressive baseline hitting, broke early and led 3-1, even holding a 4-3 advantage in the tiebreak. However, the Spaniard’s trademark resilience shone through when it mattered most. Alcaraz reeled off four straight points to steal the first set 7-6(4) before finding his rhythm to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-2.
“I didn’t see myself playing that good… but talking to my team, I realized I played better than I thought,” Alcaraz admitted post-match, relieved to advance to the third round where he will face 32nd seed Corentin Moutet.
Meanwhile, Australian hopes soared as Alex de Minaur, the nation’s top-ranked male player, overcame a slow start to defeat Hamad Medjedovic. After dropping the first set in a tiebreak, De Minaur found another gear, dismantling his opponent 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in front of a raucous home crowd that included Olympic legend Cathy Freeman.
Other notable men’s results from Day 4 included Frances Tiafoe (20) advancing with a solid four-set victory (7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3) over his opponent, and Andrey Rublev (13) cruising past Faria in four sets (6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5).
Women’s Singles: Sabalenka Cruises, Raducanu Falls to Potapova
The women’s draw delivered one of the day’s biggest shocks as British star Emma Raducanu crashed out in the second round. After a promising start to her campaign, Raducanu was outplayed by the newly Austrian-citizen Anastasia Potapova, falling 7-6(3), 6-2.
Raducanu struggled to find her range, with her forehand particularly erratic under Potapova’s pressure. “I’m going to take a few days… and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit,” a disappointed Raducanu said after the match. For Potapova, it marked a significant return to form, reaching the third round of a major for the first time since the 2024 US Open.
In stark contrast, defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka looked imperious. She needed just 72 minutes to dispatch qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3, 6-1, setting up a clash that many hoped would be against Raducanu but will now be against the dangerous Potapova.
American teenager Coco Gauff (3) also moved safely through, overcoming Olga Danilovic in a high-quality encounter. Gauff displayed maturity beyond her years to close out the match 6-2, 6-2. Another American, Iva Jovic, fought hard to defeat home favourite Priscilla Hon 6-1, 6-2, ensuring a strong US presence in the next round.
Doubles Action: High Seeds tumble and Aussie Pairs delight
Day 4 also featured a packed schedule of doubles matches as the Round of 64 got fully underway.
- Men’s Doubles: The Australian pair of James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt (son of Lleyton Hewitt) unfortunately bowed out, losing 6-3, 6-4 to the experienced duo of Yuki Bhambri and André Göransson. However, the Aussie-American team of Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram survived a tight opening set to defeat the Chinese pair of Juncheng Shang and Zhizhen Zhang 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.
- Women’s Doubles: The combination of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani proved too strong for their opponents, winning comfortably 6-4, 7-6(3).
Tournament Key Features: Australian Open 2026
As the first Grand Slam of the year, the 2026 Australian Open has introduced several record-breaking features and changes:
- Dates: The main draw runs from January 18 to February 1, 2026, with the tournament spanning three weeks including the “Opening Week” of qualifiers.
- Prize Money: The tournament boasts a record-breaking total prize pool of AUD $111.5 million, a 16% increase from 2025.
- Singles Champions: The winners of the men’s and women’s singles will each take home AUD $4.15 million.
- Early Rounds: Even a first-round exit in the main draw guarantees a player AUD $150,000.
- Key Changes:
- Finals Weekend Reshuffle: In a new format, the men’s and women’s doubles finals will be played on the second Saturday afternoon, leading into the women’s singles final that evening. The junior finals have moved to Sunday, preceding the men’s singles final.
- Shade Structures: To combat the Melbourne heat, new shading structures like “The Highline” have been installed to improve fan comfort.
- Alcaraz’s History Bid: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is chasing history in Melbourne. If he lifts the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, he will become the youngest man in history to complete a Career Grand Slam at just under 23 years of age, surpassing the records of legends like Nadal and Federer.
