Perfect Seeding, Perfect Storm: Tennis Sees A Historic Grand Slam First In 58 Years At Australian Open

Last Updated:January 26, 2026, 21:08 IST

The 2026 Australian Open sees all top six seeds in both singles draws reach the quarter-finals for the first time in Grand Slam history.

(Credit: AP)

The 2026 Australian Open has already carved out a slice of tennis history — and we’re only at the quarter-final stage.

For the first time in the Open Era (dating back to 1968), the top six seeds in both the men’s and women’s singles have all reached the last eight of a Grand Slam.

That’s 58 years of tennis, rewritten in Melbourne.

Two of the women’s top six and three of the men’s had already progressed on Sunday, with the rest following suit — helped along by Novak Djokovic, the men’s No.4 seed, advancing without hitting a ball after Jakub Menšík withdrew ahead of their fourth-round clash.

While the women’s draw last saw this level of seeding perfection at the 1998 US Open, and the men managed it only recently at the 2024 Australian Open, this is the first time both draws have aligned so neatly at the same major.

The flipside? A relative shortage of chaos. Upsets have been rare, straight-sets wins plentiful, and the early rounds lacked the usual Grand Slam turbulence.

But what’s emerged instead is a stacked, heavyweight quarter-final slate.

Quarter-final line-ups

Men’s

• Carlos Alcaraz [1] vs Alex de Minaur [6]
• Alexander Zverev [3] vs Learner Tien [25]
• Lorenzo Musetti [5] vs Novak Djokovic [4]
• Ben Shelton [8] vs Jannik Sinner [2]

Women’s

• Aryna Sabalenka [1] vs Iva Jovic [29]
• Coco Gauff [3] vs Elina Svitolina [12]
• Amanda Anisimova [4] vs Jessica Pegula [6]
• Iga Swiatek [2] vs Elena Rybakina [5]

In a draw dominated by elite names, a few outsiders still stand out.

Learner Tien, just 20, and 18-year-old Iva Jovic are the seeding anomalies — two young Americans. Add Elina Svitolina, who continues to elevate her level at majors since returning as a mother, and there’s still plenty of intrigue beneath the surface.

Still, the overarching theme has been consistency at the top. The favourites have largely delivered, the rankings have held firm, and Melbourne is now set for a run of matches that feel more like a season-ending finals.

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