Alcaraz lands in an exceptionally easy draw at the 2026 Australian Open

The world’s top-ranked player has a great chance to achieve a milestone at the Australian Open, encountering opponents well within his level.

On the morning of January 15th, Vietnam time, the draw ceremony for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year took place – the 2026 Australian Open was held. Accordingly, the current world No. 1 – Carlos Alcaraz – has been placed in a very favorable section, avoiding most of the big names on his path to potentially winning the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

Alcaraz will face Adam Walton – an Australian home player in his opening match. Although Walton showed progress in 2025, notably with a victory over Daniil Medvedev at the Cincinnati Open, overall, he is unlikely to trouble Carlitos, who is playing at a much higher level.

In the second round, Alcaraz will play against Yannick Hanfmann or a qualifier. Potential opponents in the third or fourth rounds are also within reach for the current world No. 1, including: Tommy Paul, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Sebastian Korda.

By the quarterfinals, the challenge for Alcaraz increases slightly but still does not include players likely to defeat the Spaniard in a best-of-five sets format: Alex De Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Frances Tiafoe, and others.

The biggest rival in the 22-year-old’s half of the draw at the semifinals is Alexander Zverev, along with other notable players such as Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz is not in the same half as Novak Djokovic – who eliminated him in the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals.

The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam that Carlos Alcaraz has yet to conquer; he has never even reached the quarterfinals there. While surprises can always happen, this is arguably the perfect chance for Carlitos to break his personal record and aim to complete the "Career Grand Slam" at Melbourne Park.

The 2026 Australian Open will officially begin on January 18th.