Seven Canadians Set to Compete in Singles Draws for 2026 Australian Open
[TORONTO, ON] January 15, 2026 – As the Australian Open, the first major of the year, begins, seven Canadians are set to compete in the main draw of the men’s and women’s singles events at Melbourne
Park. By virtue of their rankings, Felix Auger-Aliassime (Montreal, QC), Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill,
ON), Gabriel Diallo (Montreal, QC), Victoria Mboko (Burlington, ON) and Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval,
QC) all earned direct entry into the event. Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON) and Liam Draxl (Newmarket, ON) also advanced through three rounds of qualifying to make it into the main draw.
The highest-seeded Canadian at No. 7, Auger-Aliassime, is set to face Nuno Borges, of Portugal, in his opening-round match in the men’s draw. Should he advance, a fourth-round matchup against Daniil
Medvedev looms. Auger-Aliassime is coming off an outstanding season in 2025, when he finished the
year ranked a career-high No. 5. Shapovalov, the 21st seed, is scheduled to meet Chinese wild card
Yunchaokete Bu in the first round. Shapovalov could play Casper Ruud, of Norway, in the third round.
Meanwhile, Diallo will match up with No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in his opening round.
Draxl will play Damir Dzumhur, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the first round as he makes his grand slam
and Australian Open main-draw debut.
In the women’s event, the 17th-seeded Mboko, making her first appearance in the Australian Open main
draw, will play Australian wild card Emerson Jones in her first-round match. The 19-year-old could face
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16. Fernandez, seeded No. 22, faces Janice Tjen, of Indonesia, in the first round, and should she advance, could play the defending champion Madison Keys, of the United States of America, in a third-round match. Stakusic, also making her Australian Open debut, is set to play Australian wild card Priscilla Hon in the first round.
In the women’s doubles event, reigning US Open champion Gabriela Dabrowski will compete with new
partner Luisa Stefani, of Brazil. After ending her successful partnership with Erin Routliffe last year, Dabrowski is reuniting with Stefani, with whom she previously played. The pair had success together,
including winning the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers and reaching the US Open semifinal that same year. Dabrowski and Stefani are expected to be seeded fifth. Mboko will also compete in the women’s doubles draw, playing with partner Iva Jovic, of the US, while Fernandez is also scheduled to play with partner Timea Babos, of Hungary. The women’s doubles draw is set to take place on Jan. 17.
In the wheelchair tennis event, Rob Shaw will compete in the men’s quad draw. Shaw advanced to the
quarterfinals at the Australian Open in both 2023 and 2024.
In the junior competition, Canadian Nadia Lagaev will compete in the girls’ singles main draw. The 17-
year-old is currently ranked No. 28 in the ITF junior rankings.
