The first day of the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open is in the books, and it did not disappoint. Some fans were up all night, struggling to navigate the labyrinth of paywalls to watch the matches. Others are playing catch-up on highlights this morning.<\/p>\n
There were a few unexpected outcomes and plenty of exhilarating moments on the courts in Melbourne. Below are the five biggest highlights from Day 1 of the 2026 Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Olga Danilovic Survives Venus Williams<\/p>\n
Olga Danilovic comes through a tough one against Venus Williams to advance to the second round \ud83e\uddbe<\/p>\n
Props to both players for a high-level battle \ud83d\udc4f#AO26<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/UW9VEtNPl8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Playing professional tennis at 45 years old is unbelievable; almost beating the WTA World No. 69 is on another level. Olga Danilovic survived a scare from Venus Williams in three sets: 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.<\/p>\n Danilovic was down 0-4 in the third set and proceeded to win six consecutive games. Williams looked extremely sharp and proved she deserved every wild card entry she receives this season.<\/p>\n Marta Kostyuk Suffers Injury and Upset<\/p>\n WHAT A BATTLE!<\/p>\n Elsa Jacquemot defeats #20 seed and Brisbane finalist Marta Kostyuk 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(10-7) in incredible 3h31 (!) to reach the 2nd round at the #AusOpen<\/a>. <\/p>\n Kostyuk served for the match in the second set…<\/p>\n BIG upset. pic.twitter.com\/lQqvRnavig<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jos\u00e9 Morgado (@josemorgado) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Elsa Jacquemot saved a match point in the second set and came back to defeat Marta Kostuk in a 3.5-hour thriller: 6\u20137(4), 7\u20136(4), 7\u20136(7). However, Kostyuk rolled her ankle at 5-6 (30-0). The Ukrainian star has already pulled out of her doubles match and is finished in Melbourne.<\/p>\n Qualifier Shocks World No. 11<\/p>\n Respect to Zeynep S\u00f6nmez who went to help this ball kid who fainted beside the court \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/iHnX2TDaZ7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Qualifier Zeynep S\u00f6nmez upset the 11-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets: 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. S\u00f6nmez trailed 1-3 in the decider before a pivotal save turned the momentum of the match and eventually vaulted her into the second round. Even better, the Turkish star showed class by helping a ball girl who fainted from heat exhaustion.<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz’s First Match With New Coach<\/p>\n The quest for the Career Grand Slam has begun.<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz defeats Adam Walton in straight sets on RLA \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8@wwos<\/a> \u2022 @espn<\/a> \u2022 @tntsports<\/a> \u2022 @wowowtennis<\/a> \u2022 #AO26<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/I11iOMZSSR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz shocked the sport in December when he parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero<\/a>. Making matters more challenging, Alcaraz did not play any warm-up tournaments before starting his season at a Grand Slam he has struggled at throughout his career. Yet, the first match of the Samuel L\u00f3pez era was a success. Alcaraz beat Adam Walton in straight sets: 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2.<\/p>\n Emma Raducanu’s Lighthearted Joke<\/p>\n “Rado apparently is my new nickname” \ud83d\ude02<\/p>\n Emma Raducanu has a new number one fan in Australia \ud83e\udd1d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa Watch and stream the 2026 Australian Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+ pic.twitter.com\/2Z7R1l1heO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Many tennis fans are still a little shaken by Emma Raducanu’s scary encounter with a “fixated fan” last year. However, Raducanu is not letting that stop her from interacting with fans and making lighthearted jokes about the matter. <\/p>\n Raducanu shouted out to a fan who nicknamed her “Raddo” and joked, “You’re invited to every match. Just let my agent know you’re here.” This came during on-court interview after defeating Mananchaya Sawangkaew in straight sets: 6-4, 6-1.<\/p>\n The 2026 Australian Open runs through January 31 for the women and February 1 for the men. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s\u00a0Serve On SI\u00a0for all of your tennis style news from the court and beyond.<\/p>\n More Tennis News<\/p>\n Alex de Minaur starts his partnership with Wilson at the Australian Open.<\/a><\/p>\n Coco Gauff debuted her New Balance kit for the Australian Open.<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner showed frustration with his new racket.<\/a><\/p>\n Aryna Sabalenka discussed her rivalry with Iga Swiatek.<\/a><\/p>\n Coco Gauff dealt a brutal draw at the Australian Open.<\/a><\/p>\n