Djokovic Hits 100 Wins in Melbourne as Swiatek Survives Early Scare at Aus Open 2026

 


Novak Djokovic began his campaign at his favourite Grand Slam in emphatic fashion, cruising to a straight-sets victory in the second round of the Australian Open on Monday. The 10-time champion brushed aside Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, recording his 100th career win in Melbourne.

With that milestone, Djokovic now sits just behind Roger Federer on the all-time list of Australian Open match victories. Three more wins would see the Serbian great surpass Federer. Remarkably, Djokovic already has 100 match wins each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros, making him the only player in history to achieve the feat at three different Grand Slams. He will next face Italy’s Francesco Maestrelli in the third round.

Despite past concerns over his fitness, Djokovic looked sharp and composed, barely breaking a sweat. He controlled rallies from the baseline and struck nearly three times as many winners as his opponent, underlining his authority on the hard courts of Melbourne Park.

In the women’s draw, world No.1 Iga Swiatek also advanced, though not without a brief scare. Chasing her maiden Australian Open title, Swiatek appeared shaky early as she dropped her opening serve, but recovered to defeat China’s qualifier Yuan Yue, ranked 130th in the world, 7-6, 6-3.

Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion and a former winner at both Wimbledon and the US Open, has so far been denied success in Melbourne. She has reached the semi-finals twice here but fallen short on both occasions. Against Yuan, she trailed 3-5 in the opening set before holding serve, breaking back and eventually claiming the set in a tie-break. She then settled into her rhythm to close out the match in straight sets.

Elsewhere in the women’s competition, second seed Coco Gauff defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 to move into the next round. Fourth seed Amanda Anisimova advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Simona Waltert, while sixth seed Jessica Pegula eased past Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1.

In the men’s draw, Alex de Minaur produced a dominant performance to beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. Eleventh seed Daniil Medvedev overcame Jesper de Jong 7-5, 6-2, 7-6, and 12th seed Casper Ruud defeated Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire due to injury while trailing Nuno Borges 6-3, 4-6, 4-6. Meanwhile, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, playing what is expected to be his final Australian Open after receiving a wild card, rolled back the years with a four-set win over Laslo Djere, triumphing 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 in the opening round.

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