MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian Open is back for 2026, and the stars were out and about on Sunday to begin their quest for the title in the year’s first Grand Slam.
Two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka breezed through her opening-round match in straight sets, as did fellow world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz who survived a minor second-set scare, while Venus Williams blew a 4-0 lead in the third set to bow out at the hands of Serbia’s Ogla Danilovic in a three-set epic.
Earlier in the day we witnessed distressing scenes on 1573 Arena when a ball kid fainted during the match between 11th-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, while men’s 20th-seed Flavio Cobolli was bundled out of the tournament, citing an urgent need to use the bathroom.
Catch up on how Day 1 of the Australian Open unfolded below.
