The second round of the Australian Open 2026 continues on day 5 with key players like Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner taking the court in Melbourne. Defending champions advance amid upsets, setting up intriguing third-round possibilities. Matches feature a mix of top seeds and rising talents on major arenas.
Day 5 of the Australian Open 2026, held at Melbourne Park, features 32 singles matches across the grounds, with play starting at 11:30 AM local time on show courts like Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena. On Rod Laver Arena, the day session opens with Jessica Pegula facing McCartney Kessler, followed by Novak Djokovic's second-round match against qualifier Francesco Maestrelli, scheduled no earlier than 1:30 PM local. The night session begins at 7:00 PM local with Jannik Sinner defending his title against wild card James Duckworth, concluding with Elena Rybakina versus Varvara Gracheva.
Margaret Court Arena starts with an all-Italian clash between Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego, then Amanda Anisimova against Katerina Siniakova. The night session includes Naomi Osaka versus Sorana Cirstea and Casper Ruud rematching Jaume Munar from last year's five-setter.
Recent second-round results include Carlos Alcaraz defeating Yannick Hanfmann 7-6(7-4) 6-3 6-2, Aryna Sabalenka beating Zhuoxuan Bai 6-3 6-1, and upsets like Anastasia Potapova over Emma Raducanu 7-6(7-3) 6-2. Jessica Pegula advanced 6-0 6-2 against McCartney Kessler, Madison Keys came back to win 6-1 7-5 over Ashlyn Krueger, and Oksana Selekhmeteva upset Paula Badosa 6-4 6-4. Other seeds progressing include Coco Gauff 6-2 6-2 over Olga Danilovic and Mirra Andreeva 6-0 6-4 against Maria Sakkari.
The tournament schedule runs first round January 18-20, second round January 21-22, with night sessions at 7:00 PM local. Broadcasts are available on ESPN and Tennis Channel in the US.