Preview Australian Open Day Five | Second round action continues as Sinner, Djokovic, Swiatek, Rybakina feature

The second round in the 2026 Australian Open is set to culminate on day five, as the players start to settle into the competition with the business ends of the tournament starting to come into sight.

However, they are not there yet with there set to be 32 players left in the men’s and women’s tournament. The fifth day of action will see a vast array of former champions headline the action, with the challengers looking to stamp their authority on what they hope to be a maiden Grand Slam title in Australia.

Jannik Sinner has barely moved a muscle in this year’s Australian Open. He dropped just three games in two sets against Hugo Gaston before the Frenchman was forced to retire after 67 minutes on court.

While the Italian would have been hoping to spend longer on the court, it was a satisfying opening round to begin his title defence with. Whatever occurs on day five, he will be the second favourite on court with Aussie wildcard James Duckworth set to be urged on by the willing local fans, desperately hoping for a huge upset.

The two-time back-to-back champion is looking to become the first player to win three on the spin in Melbourne since 10-time champion Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2021. That was the second hat-trick of titles he won, following on from 2011-2013 at the place of his most Grand Slam triumphs.

Nobody has had more success at Melbourne Park than Djokovic, who is looking to add another title. While this is not the same Djokovic as of old, he is still relishing the chance to compete in these big matches, producing a scintillating match against Pedro Martinez where he was totally dominant on serve. If he can keep that up, then the 38-year-old could be in contention for more silverware and a first major title since the 2023 US Open. His next test comes in the form of Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.

Lorenzo Musetti may not be winning the titles that his rivals are, but he is certainly producing consistent results that have cemented his position as one of the highest ranked players on the planet. After his painful final defeat against Alexander Bublik in the Hong Kong Open, he will be more motivated than ever to kick on. He reached a new career high of fifth in the world, with there a possibility of him leaving Melbourne in the top three. For that to happen, he must get past his second round test of fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who massively dented his ATP Finals chances after defeating Musetti at the Paris Masters.

For Taylor Fritz, he has started 2026 not in the best of form. He turned up the gears in a four-set win against Valenti Royer, but it was not convincing for a large part of the match. The former world number four has a job to get back up to those positions, with the former quarter-finalist up against Vit Kopriva, who will be hyped, albeit tired, after a five-set victory against Jan-Lennard Struff.

The newly crowned American number one Ben Shelton impressed in a closely fought win against Ugo Humbert. While on paper Dane Sweeny will be an easier task, the Aussie will have the crowd’s full support along with the momentum from defeating Gael Monfils.

The hardest to call tie in the second round could be between former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and recent Adelaide International champion Tomas Machac, in what is set to be an enthralling tie.

The women’s tournament is still as wide open as its ever been. Iga Swiatek has as good chance as any in claiming the title if she can find her A-game, which has gone somewhat missing in 2026. A triumph in the United Cup was slightly overshadowed by some damaging singles defeats, and it took a big effort to fend off qualifier Yue Yuan. It will not get easier for the Pole, who will have to defeat Marie Bouzkova to continue her career Grand Slam ambitions.

Amanda Anisimova is still looking for her first, but the signs are promising that she ill be in the hunt once more. She is targeting a third Grand Slam final on the spin in what is an incredible turn of fortune from prior events in her career. The world number four also faces off against a player from the Czech Republic, this time in the form of Katerina Siniakova.

The WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina will also be in action on day five. She showed off her title credentials in a resounding victory against Kaja Juvan in the first round, but there is more for the former finalist to showcase on court. If her serve is on song, then Varvara Gracheva will likely not be standing a chance, with a repeat of their last two meetings possibly on the cards.

Madison Keys was involved in a tricky opening tie against Oleksandra Oliynykova, but after a sketchy first set showed her quality enroute to victory. She has a lot of ranking points on the line from her incredible heroics last year, and will move one step closer to defending them against Ashlyn Krueger.

It is a high quality field of Americans taking centre stage. Not only Keys and Anisimova, but world number six Jessica Pegula will also be hoping for a route into the next round. She is a three-time quarter-finalist, but has failed to make it past the third round in the last two years. McCartney Kessler looks to keep this average form up Down Under, with revenge on the mind after losing in the ATX Open final to her.

An outsider for the title may very well be Belinda Benci. Without a singles defeat in 2026 with huge victories against the likes of Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini prove she is very much inform. Nikola Bartunkova is next in line for the Swiss athlete, with the Czech tennis player knocking out Aussie number two Daria Kasatkina.

Last year’s semi-finalist Paula Badosa has so far avoided any injury and will look to keep a consistent streak on court with the talent very much for everyone to see. Oksana Selekhmeteva is her next task, with two-time Naomi Osaka up against Sorana Cirstea. More fans may be intrigued about what she is going to wear rather than the tennis match following her flamboyant outfit in her walk-on for her opening contest.