Australian Open 2026 Day 4 Recap

Day four of the 2026 Australian Open was one for the hierarchy: the seeds held firm across the board, navigating tricky matchups, long tiebreaks, and five-set tests to complete a clean sweep into the third round.

Carlos Alcaraz set the tone with a measured straight-sets win over Yannick Hanfmann after a gruelling opening set, while Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev both recovered from early resistance to move on.

Elsewhere, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina survived a five-set battle with Reilly Opelka, Andrey Rublev fought through a dropped set, and Alex de Minaur flipped a slow start into a dominant four-set win.

Despite rain chaos on the outer courts, the big names under the roof powered through, ensuring no seeded exits on the day.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Day 4 results, the key matches, and highlights.

Day Three 2026 Australian Open Round of 64 Results

Key Matches

Carlos Alcaraz (1) def. Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a spirited challenge from Yannick Hanfmann in a tense opener (tight first-set tiebreak in a set that lasted 78 minutes), then pulled away with his trademark flair and power.

It was strong serving and baseline magic, sealing the deal for the Spaniard against the tricky Hanfmann, who has a great backhand and has moments where his game really catches fire.

I didn’t see myself [as having played] that well. But then talking to my team, I realised that I played better than I thought, which I think is great. Obviously, I’m still getting used to the conditions and to playing better. I think in front of me, I just played against a great player today. But just happy that I’m just improving every day after every match. So hopefully being better in the next round. Alcaraz on his win.

Daniil Medvedev def. Quentin Halys 6(9)-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Daniil Medvedev dropped a nail-biting first-set tiebreak but bounced back, winning the next three sets convincingly to continue his form down under.

Interestingly, he doesn’t think he’s playing as well as he did in Brisbane and isn’t quite attuned with the surface, but is happy to be in the third round after a string of disappointing Grand Slam results.

Alexander Zverev (3) def. Alexandre Muller 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Last year’s finalist, Alexander Zverer, came through a four-set battle against Alexandre Muller, dropping the second but dominating the rest with exceptional serving: 18 aces and 71% of first-serve points won. Has Zverev made improvements in the off seson that bring him closer to Sinner and Alcaraz? I don’t think so, but he’s keeping himself in the mix.

Other notable matches saw Andrey Rublev fight through a dropped set to beat Jaime Faria; Alejandro Davidovich Fokina survive a five-set thriller vs. Reilly Opelka; Cameron Norrie kept British hopes going (despite rain delays, he was three points from winning when interrupted); Tomas Martin Etcheverry cruised past Arthur Fery; and Francisco Cerundolo dominated Damir Dzumhur. Rain caused chaos on outer courts, but the big names under the roof powered through.

Australian Open 2026 Day 5 Round of 64 Matches