The 2026 Australian Open women’s singles Round of 16 includes players all over the spectrum: teenage newcomers, Grand Slam champions, and American women.
5 Grand Slam Champs
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Swiatek
- Coco Gauff
- Elena Rybakina
- Madison Keys
These five women have won Grand Slams on every surface in recent years. Sabalenka, the World No. 1, is a two-time Australian Open champion who narrowly lost the three-peat to defending champion Madison Keys in 2025.
Swiatek and Gauff won at Wimbledon and Roland Garros last year, but both are former US Open champions so winning on the hardcourts is not foreign to them.
Rybakina is the 2022 Wimbledon champion whose riding the momentum from her year-end stellar run and big win at the 2025 WTA Finals.
5 Americans
- Coco Gauff
- Amanda Anisimova
- Jessica Pegula
- Madison Keys
- Iva Jovic
Gauff and Keys have the experience of going the distance at a Grand Slam, but Anisimova and Pegula are Grand Slam finalists.
Jovic is the newcomer on the scene who is rising quickly in the ranks and playing at a level beyond her age (18).
3 Teenagers
- Mirra Andreeva
- Victoria Mboko
- Iva Jovic
Andreeva collected back-to-back WTA 1000 wins last year at Indian Wells and Dubai, but she has been on the big stage for years despite only being 18.
She was a French Open semifinalist in 2024 and a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2025.
Mboko and Jovic are teaming up in doubles and won their first round match in straight sets.
Round Of 16 Matchups
- Aryna Sabalenka vs. Victoria Mboko
- Yulia Putintseva vs. Iva Jovic
- Coco Gauff vs. Karolina Muchova
- Elina Svitolina vs. Mirra Andreeva
- Xinyu Wang vs. Amanda Anisimova
- Jessica Pegula vs. Madison Keys
- Maddison Inglis vs. Iga Swiatek
- Elena Rybakina vs. Elise Mertens
Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Mboko will face each other in the Australian Open Round of 16.
This will be their first meeting.
The world #1 vs one of the most talented young players in tennis.
Who wins? pic.twitter.com/xp9HCeVp69
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 23, 2026
Saturday overnight into Sunday morning is when the Round of 16 matches will take place and may be televised on ESPN2 though the network has received loads of criticism for how it is broadcasting the tournament this year.
Women’s tennis is so loaded with depth and talent that it is difficult to predict who will advance.
Another intangible is the blistering heat that has hit Melbourne. The heat could turn out to be as big of an opponent as the person on the other side of the net.
The AO Heat Stress Scale is above 5.0.
Play is suspended for all matches and practice on outside courts. The roofs on RLA, MCA and JCA will close and remain closed for the remainder of the match.
If onsite, please seek shade and apply cooling strategies.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2026
