Australian Open-2026: Ukrainian tennis players learned their opponents in the first round
Ukrainian tennis players have received their opponents in the first round of the Australian Open-2026, the draw for which took place on January 15. Six representatives from Ukraine will compete in the tournament, four of whom made it to the main draw, while two qualified.
- Elina Svitolina, seeded 12th, will play against Spanish player Cristina Bucsa.
- Marta Kostyuk, ranked 20th, will face French tennis player Elsa Jacquemot.
- Dayana Yastremska, seeded 26th, will battle with Romanian athlete Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
- Oleksandra Oliynykova will meet the world number nine Madison Keys from the USA in her debut match.
- Yulia Starodubtseva, who qualified, will play against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
- Angelina Kalinina, also qualified, will face Chinese tennis player Wang Xinyu.
We should remind that Vitaliy Sachko participated in the qualifications but could not advance further, losing in the semifinals. At the same time, at another tournament, Jordan Smith won the friendly tournament 1 Point Slam, earning 1 million Australian dollars (approximately 590 thousand US dollars), defeating world number 117 Joanna Garland from Taiwan in the final.
Growth of interest in Ukrainian tennis
The participation of six Ukrainian tennis players in the Australian Open-2026 underscores the growing interest in Ukrainian tennis on the international stage. The competition that Ukrainian athletes will face in the first round will be important for their further success in the tournament and their careers.
In particular, matches against world tennis players can provide a great opportunity for ranking and experience enhancement for younger players. This also indicates that Ukrainian tennis continues to develop despite the challenges facing the country in a broader context.