American Preview Australian Open 2026 Second Round | Coco Gauff faces tricky test as Tiafoe and Paul eye progress in Melbourne

Everything is set for the start of the second round of the Australian Open, with half of the players who entered the main draw already eliminated and several American representatives still in contention, led by two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff and former Top-10 players Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.

This Wednesday, 21 January, the second round will begin with six American men and six American women taking to the courts as they look to keep progressing at the first Grand Slam of the season.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff will face Serbia’s Olga Danilović, one of the most dangerous unseeded players left in the draw. The left-hander has already shown flashes of her potential in the past, even if consistency has sometimes been lacking. She comes into the match after defeating Venus Williams in the first round, a match in which the former world No. 1 let slip a 4–0 lead in the third set.

There are no previous meetings between the two, although Gauff has an interesting statistic on her side: she has won 14 of her last 15 matches against left-handed opponents.

Another name to watch on the women’s side is 18-year-old Iva Jovic, who reached the final of the Hobart International last week and had little trouble getting past Katie Volynets in the opening round. She will face New Zealand wildcard Priscilla Hon, aiming to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

Also in action will be world No. 39 Ann Li, who survived a tight battle against Camila Osorio in the first round. The Colombian refused to go away, saving multiple match points, but after nearly three hours of play, Li sealed the win and booked a second-round clash with Magda Linette. The Polish player caused one of the early upsets by eliminating Emma Navarro, one of the few seeded players to fall in the first round.

Tommy Paul (19th seed) got his Melbourne campaign off to a solid start, cruising past compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. Paul has important points to defend this week after reaching the quarter-finals in 2025, and his debut left positive impressions, firing 20 aces and winning 91% of points on his first serve. He will now face Argentine Thiago Tirante, a clay-court specialist who has never progressed beyond the second round of a major. Paul will enter the match as a clear favourite.

Frances Tiafoe (29th seed) will also face Argentine opposition, taking on 25-year-old Francisco Comesaña, who has reached the second round in Melbourne for the first time. The South American has already produced some surprises in the past, including his first-round win over Alex Michelsen at the US Open. Tiafoe arrives as the favourite, having looked comfortable in Australian conditions during his straight-sets win over local wildcard Jason Kubler, in which he struck 23 aces and won 78% of points on first serve.

Another American generating expectations at this Australian Open is 25th seed Learner Tien, the recent Next Gen ATP Finals champion and arguably one of the players who has improved the most over the past year. The left-hander had to battle hard in the first round to overcome Marcos Giron in a tight five-set contest. Tien is defending a fourth-round appearance from 2025, when he famously defeated world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev. This time, he will face Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, the current world No. 97 and former No. 45, who is seeking to reach the third round of a major for the first time.

• Reilly Opelka vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (14)

• Michael Zheng vs Corentin Moutet (32)

• Emilio Nava vs Cameron Norrie (26)

• Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter

• Caty McNally vs Victoria Mboko (17)

• Alycia Parks vs Karolína Muchová (19)