The 5 Best Highlights From Day 1 of the Australian Open

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.

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.

Marta Kostyuk Suffers Injury and Upset

Elsa Jacquemot saved a match point in the second set and came back to defeat Marta Kostuk in a 3.5-hour thriller: 6–7(4), 7–6(4), 7–6(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.

Qualifier Shocks World No. 11

Qualifier Zeynep Sönmez upset the 11-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets: 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Sönmez 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.

Carlos Alcaraz's First Match With New Coach

Carlos Alcaraz shocked the sport in December when he parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero . 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 López era was a success. Alcaraz beat Adam Walton in straight sets: 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-2.

Emma Raducanu's Lighthearted Joke

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.

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.

The 2026 Australian Open runs through January 31 for the women and February 1 for the men.