Day nine of the 2026 Australian Open finalised the quarterfinal line-up with Lorenzo Musetti producing one of his best serving performances of his career to dismantle Taylor Fritz and reach his first Australian Open quarterfinal, completing the set of last-eight appearances at all four majors.
Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run in Melbourne by overpowering Luciano Darderi in an all-Italian clash, while Ben Shelton rallied past Casper Ruud to book another quarterfinal in Australia.
Novak Djokovic advanced without stepping on court after Jakub Menšík withdrew injured, sending the Serb straight into the last eight and setting up a familiar matchup with Musetti.
With the business end of the tournament now locked in, Melbourne shifts fully into heavyweight mode.
Australian Open 2026 Day 9 Results
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo Musetti (5) | Taylor Fritz (9) | 6-2 7-5 6-4 |
| Novak Djokovic (4) | Jakub Menšík (16) | Walkover |
| Ben Shelton (8) | Casper Ruud (12) | 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 |
| Jannik Sinner (2) | Luciano Darderi (22) | 6-1 6-3 7-6(2) |
Daily Recap
Lorenzo Musetti (5) def. Taylor Fritz (9) 6-2, 7-5, 6-4
Lorenzo Musetti completed the full set of reaching quarterfinals at all four majors (his first AO QF) with a commanding straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz in 2 hours 3 minutes.
Musetti fired 13 aces (one of his career-best tallies), won 84% of first-serve points, crushed 33 winners, and broke Fritz multiple times (including to love at 5-5 in set 2 and early in set 3). He showed no fatigue from his prior five-set epic (vs. Machac), dictating with heavy topspin forehand, variation, and aggressive net/drop shots.
Fritz struggled (42% first-serve in set 1, 0/2 break points converted), called physio at 3-2 in set 2 for oblique issues (k-tape on both sides), and admitted post-match knee tendonitis flared (“didn’t feel great from get-go,” pulling up on shots, not loading hard enough) though he praised Musetti’s play and serving/neutralizing.
I couldn’t believe Fritz was the betting favourite a couple of days ago, so Musetti was a straightforward value bet. He advances to face Novak Djokovic in QF (Djokovic leads H2H 9-1, on a six-win streak vs. Musetti).
I think today [my serve] was really working well, I think I made one of my best performances in aces in my career so far, so I’m really, really happy. When I finished last season pretty late, the goals were to start well this year, because I’d never surpassed the first week here. Making the final in Hong Kong, winning doubles in Hong Kong [with Lorenzo Sonego] and now being in the quarter-finals, for me, it’s really a dream. Musetti on his performance
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Lorenzo Musetti | Taylor Fritz |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 33 | 23 |
| Unforced Errors | 24 | 34 |
| Aces | 13 | 10 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 68% (55/81) | 60% (50/84) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 84% (46/55) | 64% (32/50) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 69% (18/26) | 56% (19/34) |
| Break Points Saved | 100% (2/2) | 56% (5/9) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 36% (18/50) | 16% (9/55) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 44% (15/34) | 31% (8/26) |
| Break Points Won | 44% (4/9) | 0% (0/2) |
| Return Games | 27% (4/15) | 0% (0/15) |
| Pressure Points | 55% (6/11) | 45% (5/11) |
| Service Points | 79% (64/81) | 61% (51/84) |
| Return Points | 39% (33/84) | 21% (17/81) |
| Net Points | 73% (11/15) | 56% (9/16) |
| Total Points | 59% (97/165) | 41% (68/165) |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 15 | 5 |
| Total Games | 63% (19/30) | 37% (11/30) |
| Max Games In A Row | 5 | 1 |
Highlights
Jannik Sinner (2) def. Luciano Darderi (22) 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2)
Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner asserted dominance in an all-Italian clash, reaching his fourth AO quarterfinal.
Sinner blasted a career-high 19 aces (no double faults), tallied 46 winners (vs. Darderi’s 33), won 75.6% (65/86) of service points, and extended his perfect record vs. fellow Italians to 18-0 tour-level.
Darderi had no hard-court record to speak of prior to this fortnight, whereas Sinner has been the best on them for 2 years, so I didn’t expect anything other than a straight-sets win.
Sinner dictated from the baseline with precision, but he did at least run into some late resistance: Darderi surged aggressively at 4-4 in set 3 (earning four break points and leading 2-0 in the tiebreak), yet Sinner won seven straight points to slam the door.
Post-match, Sinner admitted getting “very tight” after missing early break chances in set 3, called Darderi a “good friend” (even though he said they’d only practised once the other day), and praised off-season serve tweaks. He noted feeling “very tired” from earlier heat but said cooler temps helped.
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Luciano Darderi | Jannik Sinner |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 33 | 46 |
| Unforced Errors | 32 | 16 |
| Aces | 11 | 19 |
| Double Faults | 5 | 0 |
| 1st Serve % | 57% (55/97) | 72% (62/86) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 73% (40/55) | 81% (50/62) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (17/42) | 63% (15/24) |
| Break Points Saved | 50% (4/8) | 100% (6/6) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 19% (12/62) | 27% (15/55) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 38% (9/24) | 60% (25/42) |
| Break Points Won | 0% (0/6) | 50% (4/8) |
| Return Games | 0% (0/14) | 29% (4/14) |
| Pressure Points | 29% (4/14) | 71% (10/14) |
| Service Points | 59% (57/97) | 76% (65/86) |
| Return Points | 24% (21/86) | 41% (40/97) |
| Net Points | 67% (6/9) | 75% (15/20) |
| Total Points | 43% (78/183) | 57% (105/183) |
| Match Points Saved | 2 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 8 |
| Total Games | 36% (10/28) | 64% (18/28) |
| Max Games In A Row | 1 | 5 |
Highlights
Ben Shelton (8) def. Casper Ruud (12) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Ben Shelton rallied from a set down to reach his third AO quarterfinal in four appearances, winning 97% (29/30) of net points, dropping just three points on serve in the fourth set, and closing strongly with plenty of eye-catching winners.
Ruud started dominantly on serve, but lapsed late in sets 2 and 3 (costly breaks conceded), allowing Shelton to seize momentum, where he never looked back.
Shelton has definitely improved his game management of late, but I still struggle to see how he wins enough return points against Sinner in their quarter-final. We’ll see if Ruud was easy pickings, as he’s not really a formidable foe in Australia or if Shelton’s game is up a level from last year.
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Ben Shelton | Casper Ruud |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 55 | 23 |
| Unforced Errors | 45 | 33 |
| Aces | 14 | 9 |
| Double Faults | 4 | 6 |
| 1st Serve % | 66% (63/96) | 71% (89/125) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 83% (52/63) | 66% (59/89) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 73% (24/33) | 61% (22/36) |
| Break Points Saved | 67% (2/3) | 73% (8/11) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 34% (30/89) | 17% (11/63) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 39% (14/36) | 27% (9/33) |
| Break Points Won | 27% (3/11) | 33% (1/3) |
| Return Games | 16% (3/19) | 5% (1/19) |
| Pressure Points | 36% (5/14) | 64% (9/14) |
| Service Points | 79% (76/96) | 65% (81/125) |
| Return Points | 35% (44/125) | 21% (20/96) |
| Net Points | 97% (29/30) | 52% (11/21) |
| Total Points | 54% (120/221) | 46% (101/221) |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 5 | 5 |
| Total Games | 55% (21/38) | 45% (17/38) |
| Max Games In A Row | 3 | 3 |
Highlights
Australian Open 2026 Day 10 Round of Quarter-Final Matches
- Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Alex de Minaur (6)
- Alexander Zverev (3) vs Learner Tien (25)
