All articles tagged with #rod laver arena
Elena Rybakina recovered from a set down to beat world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open women’s final at Rod Laver Arena, sealing her second Grand Slam title and avenging her 2023 defeat to Sabalenka. Sabalenka’s bid to win Melbourne for a third time ended in a hard-fought three-set clash, while the men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic looms for Sunday.
Australian Open organisers may have scheduled the Alex de Minaur vs Carlos Alcaraz quarterfinal as the second match on Rod Laver Arena, meaning a late start after Coco Gauff vs Elina Svitolina. If the match goes to four or five sets, it could begin after 10pm and finish well past midnight, potentially leaving Australian fans disappointed who wanted to watch live. De Minaur is in good form, having beaten Alexander Bublik, while Alcaraz remains World No.1 and a favorite to advance.
Naomi Osaka arrived at the Australian Open with a striking fashion moment as she walked onto Rod Laver Arena for her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia, signaling a stylish start to her Melbourne campaign on January 20, 2026.
Iga Swiatek began her bid to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open with a tight 7-6(7-5) 6-3 win over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue, showing a wobbly serve and 34 unforced errors but advancing to face Marie Bouzkova in the second round as fellow top seeds Gauff, Anisimova and Pegula also won their openers.
Roger Federer headlined the Australian Open's opening ceremony with an exhibition doubles match at Rod Laver Arena, kicking off a three-week tennis festival that drew a capacity crowd and united past champions ahead of the main draw.