Can anyone challenge Sinner and Alcaraz at the 2026 Australian Open?

Can anyone challenge Sinner and Alcaraz at the 2026 Australian Open?

The Dallas Open will take place at The Star In Frisco on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Dallas Open)

With the 2025 tennis season coming to an end, it is not too early to look ahead to 2026. After all, every new year on the annual tennis calendar starts with a bang. The summer Down Under, headlined by the Australian Open, wastes no time in heating things up.

On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won the last eight Grand Slam singles titles dating back to early 2024. They have faced each other in the final at three consecutive slams. Alcaraz and Sinner are -140 to both advance to the final and face each other for another Grand Slam title. You can bet on tennis – including the Australian Open – and all other sports such as the NFL at DraftKings Sportsbook.

There is a lot more equality in the women’s game at the moment. For comparison, take a look at the current Aussie Open odds. Sinner (+120) and Alcaraz (+140) are the only two men with odds over +1100 to lift the trophy in Melbourne. On the other hand, there are six women with +1000 odds or better to take the title. The four Grand Slams in 2025 were shared by four different women: Madison Keys (Australian Open), Coco Gauff (French Open), Iga Swiatek (Wimbledon) and Arynna Sabalance (US Open).

Here are the title odds in both the men’s and women’s events for the first major of the 2026 tennis season.

2026 Australian Open Odds

Men’s singles

Jannik Sondaar +120
Carlos Alcaraz +140
Novak Djokovic +1100
Alexander Zverev +1400
Daniil Medvedev +1800
Jack Draper +2000
Taylor Fritz +2500
Ben Shelton +2500
Joao Fonseca +4000
Tommy Paul +5000
Alex de Minaur +5000
Jakub Mensik +6000
Arthur Son +6500

Ladies singles

Aryna Sabalenka +200
Iga Swiatek +400
Coco Gauff +550
Mirra Andreeva +900
Madison Keys +1000
Amanda Anisimova +1000
Naomi Osaka +1200
Elena Rybakina +1200
Qinwen Zheng +2200
Karolina Muchova +2500
Jessica Pegula +2800
Emma Navarro +3500
Jasmine Paolini +4000
Barbora Krejcikova +4000
Victoria Mboko +4000

Let’s take a look at some of the outside contenders who could pull off an upset and capture the 2026 Australian Open title.

Daniil Medvedev (+1800)

Medvedev finally won a tournament in Rome for the first time since May 2023 when he triumphed at the ATP 250 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, last month. Obviously, the leap to a Grand Slam title is quite a step, but there’s no reason why Medvedev can’t do it. The 29-year-old Russian has done it before. He lifted the trophy at the 2021 US Open, beating Novak Djokovic in the final, denying the Serbian a calendar year Grand Slam. Medvedev may not be at his best when it comes to winning slams these days, but a recent coaching change appears to have done him some good and he can ride the recent momentum heading into the 2026 season.

Taylor Fritz (+2500)

Fritz has been one of the most improved players on the ATP Tour in recent years. The fourth-ranked American has done pretty much everything except win a major; he captured a Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells (2022) and finished runner-up to Sinner at the 2024 US Open. Fritz hasn’t had as much success Down Under as Medvedev (three runner-up finishes), but the 28-year-old reached the quarter-finals in 2024 (losing to Djokovic in four sets) and has lost just once before the third round since 2018. If Fritz can maintain his number 4 position, he is guaranteed to avoid Alcaraz and Sinner until at least the semi-finals.

Amanda Anisimova (+1000)

Anisimova isn’t exactly a dark horse considering how well she has played in 2025, but she has great value to win the 2026 Australian Open at relatively long odds of +1000. The fourth-ranked American has finished second at each of the last two majors after falling to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon last summer, followed by a setback against Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open. Anisimova upset Swiatek to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals earlier this week, so she ends the season on a high note. Like Fritz, it would be huge for Anisimova to secure a top-four finish in Melbourne. It would allow the 24-year-old to avoid Sabalenka, Swiatek and Coco Gauff until at least the semi-finals.

Elena Rybakina (+1200)

Rybakina flies a bit under the radar because she lost before the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slams in 2025, but she’s finishing the season like gangbusters. The 2022 Wimbledon champion is currently on a nine-match winning streak, including a title in Ningbo, China and WTA Finals victories over Swiatek, Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova. Rybakina is a former Aussie Open finalist (lost to Sabalenka in 2023), so she knows what she’s doing Down Under and should be armed with a ton of confidence come January.

#challenge #Sinner #Alcaraz #Australian #Open

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