Preview Australian Open Day Three | Reigning champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys get title defences underway

The first round action is set to culminate on day three of the Australian Open, with there still some top players looking to bypass the tricky opening stages with flying colours.

There has been a lot of drama and action-packed tennis so far on display, with more in the pipeline as the ATP and WTA reigning champions are set to return to the stage of their heroics 12 months ago.

Jannik Sinner has been simply dominant Down Under. The last time he lost in this event was in a five-set thriller in 2023 against the eventual finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last-16. Two imperious title triumphs have followed, with the Italian cementing himself as one of the best players on the planet.

He has been almost unstoppable on hard court. The last time he lost a match which was not him retiring or against Carlos Alcaraz on the surface was in the 2024 Canadian Open to Andrey Rublev.

There are few signs that he is going to slip up in the opening match, but that does not mean it will be easy. He will be needing to be at his very best as he comes up against Hugo Gaston.

The American number one and two are set to finally halt their long wait. Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz have both endured mediocre starts to 2026. Shelton is looking to continue his form from reaching the ATP Finals for the maiden time, despite not being able to grab a win in Turin.

An early exit in the Auckland International halted his preparations for the competition, with a very tricky customer in the form of Ugo Humbert his first round opponent. The Frenchman recently lost in the Adelaide International final to Tomas Machac, and is on good form after an injury-hit end to 2025.

Speaking of injury, Fritz has currently been dealing with a knee tendinitis issue, something which hampered his efforts in the United Cup. Time will tell to see how much it affects him in the opening major of the year, with another Frenchman in the form of Valentin Royer his opening challenge.

The new world number five Lorenzo Musetti is coming off yet another final defeat, this time in the Hong Kong Open against Alexander Bublik. The new career-high is a positive, but he will want to continue on picking up wins and going deep in tournaments. Belgium’s Raphael Collignon is first up for the Italian number two.

There are some younger stars to watch out for. The ASB Classic champion Jakub Mensik will face off against Pablo Carreno Busta in a repeat of the Davis Cup Final match, with the talented Joao Fonseca up again Eliot Spizzarri.

Very few people would have predicted for Madison Keys to lift the Australian Open trophy a year ago. Not only that, but defeating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka enroute to lifting the trophy while showing off some brilliant tennis in the process.

Her form more recently has not been up to the standards many expected. She was unable to get close to defending her Adelaide International title, and has a tall order in claiming her second Grand Slam trophy. Her title defence will begin against Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Elena Rybakina is one of the firm favourites to take home the title. At her best, very few can get to her level, proved at the WTA Finals with a simply mesmerising performance over the week to take home the title.

She made it to the 2023 final where Sabalenka clawed back a one-set deficit to clinch a maiden Grand Slam triumph. She will not want to make any similar mistakes, with Kaja Juvan her first opponent.

From a former finalist to a two-time champion. Former world number one Naomi Osaka took home the spoils in 2019 and 2021, two of the four major titles she boasts. The end of 2025 saw her reach near the heights she once was at. One to keep an eye on in Melbourne, with Antonia Ruzic her round one tie.

On that topic, Belinda Bencic goes into the Australian Open as one of the inform players on the planet. The Swiss athlete won every singles match enroute to the United Cup final, including victories against Swiatek and Coco Gauff. Katie Boulter stands in the way of a second round spot.

The Aussie fans will be in their seats early to get a sight of Maya Joint. The 19-year-old is already a two-time title winner on the WTA Circuit, and will be hoping for a deep Grand Slam run to add to her already stacked CV. 18-year-old Tereza Valentova is the first test on the cards. Along with her, former Australian number one Daria Kasatkina will look to open her account with a positive result versus qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.

Other notable ties on day three include former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez coming up against Janice Tjen while Eva Lys clashes against Sorana Cirstea.