Australian Open Day 9 Highlights: Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek advance into quarter finals

Ben Shelton is through the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, beating Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena.

“Ben Shelton has pulled off an incredible turnaround against Casper Ruud! After dropping the opening set, Shelton stormed back to claim the second and third sets with aggressive shot-making and fearless tennis.

Casper Ruud now faces immense pressure—he must win the fourth set to stay alive and force a deciding fifth set. The momentum has clearly swung in Shelton’s favor, and Ruud will need to respond with precision and composure.

What a response from Ben Shelton!

The American has flipped the script in style, roaring back to snatch the second set 6-4 and level this contest under the lights at Rod Laver Arena. Shelton raised his intensity, stepped inside the baseline and began dictating play with fearless shot-making.

Momentum has swung, the crowd is alive, and the big question now looms — how will Casper Ruud answer this challenge?

Casper Ruud has come out firing in the final match of the day at Rod Laver Arena, setting the tone early against Ben Shelton with a composed and authoritative opening set.

The Norwegian looked in complete control from the baseline, soaking up Shelton’s power and turning defence into attack with ease.

At 6-3, Ruud pockets the first set, sending a clear message that he means business under the lights in Melbourne.

Iga Swiatek has stormed her way into the finals at the Australian Open 2026 as she beat the local girl Madisson Inglis in straight sets. The World no 2 didn't take long to brush aside her Australian rival, beating her 6-0, 6-3 in straight sets at the Rod Laver Arena.

Jannik Sinner has made his way into the quarter finals of the Australian Open 2026 as he beats Luciano Darder in straight sets at the Margaret Court Arena. After comfortable in the first two sets, Sinner was tested by his compatriot in the third set with the game heading into a tie-breaker, where Sinner emerged victorious 7-2.

Jannik Sinner beats Luciano Darder 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) at Margaret Court Arena

Poland's Iga Swiatek burst out of the blocks, serving up a trademark bagel in the opening set. The world No. 1 has now won 33 sets 6-0 at Grand Slam tournaments across her career, a staggering number that underlines just how ruthless Swiatek can be once she finds her range.

Iga Swiatek surged to a commanding 5-0 lead over Maddison Inglis, with her backhand proving utterly destructive across the court. Generating sharp angles and striking cleanly from outside the ball, Swiatek repeatedly rushed Inglis, taking time away and forcing hurried responses.

Jannik Sinner has continued his dominance over Luciano Darderi, in his fourth round fixture at the Margaret Court Arena. The world no 2 has been relentless in the match so far, not giving an inch to his compatriot. Darderi has the final chance to save himself as Sinner looks uperturbed and is ready to march into quarter-finals. The duo has held each other's serves so far, after five games in the third set.

Sinner edged ahead 2-1 in the third set after missing a rare forehand, but there was little doubt about the direction of the match. As the commentator put it, it was a "glitch in the matrix" for Darderi, who flattered to deceive in the second set - holding his opening service games before being broken decisively. 

Iga Swiatek wasted little time stamping her authority on the contest, racing to a 2-0 lead against Maddison Inglis in what already looks a brutal assignment for the Australian. The world No. 1 held serve with trademark efficiency to open proceedings before immediately cranking up the pressure on return, probing Inglis' defence with depth and pace. 

Jannik Sinner sealed the second set 6-3 with ease, continuing to dictate play with his power and precision. Darderi, arms stretched wide in frustration, looked short of answers as Sinner fired down another big serve. Adding to his troubles, the 23-year-old appeared to be struggling physically, having earlier pointed to his leg and thigh, with a physio called as the gap between the two became increasingly clear.

Jannik Sinner makes it 5-3 against Luciano Darderi.To add to Darderi's woes, he's picked up a slight limp. The 23-year-old does manage to hold serve, but Greg Allensworth has called for the trainer.

Luciano Darderi clawed his way to 3–2 in the second set, but Jannik Sinner continues to look a class apart, dictating terms with ruthless efficiency. There is little surprise in that, given the gulf in consistency and control between the two.

It took him just 27 minutes to wrap up the first set. No cramping today as Sinner looks cool and calm.

Luciano Darderi, another Italian, did well to take a game and avoid a bagel as Sinner looked in complete control. 

Sinner looks poised to wrap this up in straight sets. 

Jannik Sinner was looking shaky when his compatriot, Darderi, had break points in the first service game. 

But, Sinner has wriggled out of trouble and put the pressure right back on Darderi. 

Sinner is now leading 3-0. 

This might finish quickly in the Margaret Court Arena. 

Jannik Sinner is in action at the Margaret Court Arena in the fourth round fixture against Luciano Darderi. The defending champion has been in fine form in the ongoing tournament and is favourite to progress ahead into the tournament.

Elena Rybakina has stormed into quarter-final following a dominant win over Elise Mertens. The Kazakhstani won in straight sets over the Belgian rival, winning 6-1, 6-3 at the Margaret Court Arena.

Elena Rybakina beats Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-3 at Margaret Court Arena.

Amanda Anisimova works her way past Xinyu Wang in an enthralling fourth-round match.

The fourth seed was made to work hard by Wang, but she comes through 7-6 (4), 6-4 in an hour and 42 minutes. 

Anisimova will take on 6th seed Jessica Pegula in the quarters. 

Lorenzo Musetti will face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal. It is going to be a ticky test for the Serb. But, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has enjoyed an extra couple of days' rest after his fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, withdrew with an injury.

Here's Musetti talking about the upcoming clash. 

Djokovic leads Musetti 9-1 in head-to-head meetings. 

Defending champion Jannik Sinner, who overcame heat issues in the third round, will take on compatriot Luciano Darderi, ranked 22, later in the day.

Interestingly, Sinner vs Darderi will not be on the main court but will be played in the Margaret Court Arena. 

At the Rod Laver Arena, 

Iga Swiatek, the second seed, will face 28-year-old qualifier, Maddison Inglis of Australia. 

Ben Shelton , the eight seed, will then face 12th seed Casper Ruud in what promises to be an enthralling men's singles fourth round. 

A comfortable win for Lorenzo Musetti. It's a statement win over ninth seed Taylor Fritz. 

He eased past Taylor Fritz 6-2 7-5 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena. 

The Italian came through a five-set battle with Tomas Machac in the last round but it did not appear to have taken much out of him as he broke Fritz's big serve twice in the opening set.

He will play Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final here. 

Djokovic got a bye in the fourth round after Jakub Mensik withdrew with an injury. 

Lorenzo Musetti has continued his dominance over Taylor Fritz in the fourth round fixture of the Men's singles at the Rod Laver Arena. He wins the second set 7-5, showcasing his class against the American rival. The fifth seed looks well on course to progress to the quarter-finals. 

Amanda Anisimova has won the first set of her Round 4 fixture of the women's singles at the John Cain Arena. The American was put to test by her Chinese rival Xinyu Wang, who took the game in an intense tie-breaker, where Anisimova eventually emerged victorious 7-4. She seals the first set 7-6 (7-4).

Lorenzo Musetti has won the first set against Taylor Fritz in his fourth round fixture of the Australian Open 2026 at the Rod Laver Arena. The Italian managed to earn two crucial break points over his American rival and has got off to a great start in the match, sealing the first set 6-2.

The Women's Singles defending champion at the Australian Open 2026 has been knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round as she goes down to Jessica Pegula in straight sets at the Rod Laver Arena. Pegula dominated Keys right from the word go, who seemed to be struggling with her rhtyhm. It eventually led to Keys losing the fixture and being knocked out of the tournament.

Jessica Pegula beats Madison Keys 6-3, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena

Yuki Bhambri and Andre Goransson have been knocked out in the third round fixture of the Australian Open men's doubles. After a hard-fought first set, the Indo-Swedish pair were completely dominated by their Brazillian rivals Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in the second set, losing it 3-6.

Orlando Luz, Rafael Matos beat Yuki Bhambri, Andre Goransson 7-6 (9-7), 6-3                                            

The Indo-Swedish pair of Yuki Bhambri and Andre Goransson have lost the first set of their third round fixture against the Brazillian pair of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos. The Brazillian duo won the first set in an intense tie breaker, sealing it 7-6 (9-7) at Show Court Arena.

Jessica Pegula has won the first set against defending champion Madison Keys in her fourth round fixture at the Rod Laver Arena. Keys has looked under trouble against her compatriot and will need to make a roaring comeback in the second set to keep her title defence alive.

Here's the full list of fixtures for Day 9 of the Australian Open 2026

Rod Laver Arena

• Women’s Singles - [6] Jessica Pegula vs [9] Madison Keys - 6 a.m. IST
• Men’s Singles - [5] Lorenzo Musetti vs [9] Taylor Fritz - Not before 8:30 a.m. IST
• Women’s Singles - [2] Iga Swiatek vs [Q] Maddison Inglis - 1:30 p.m. IST
• Men’s Singles - [8] Ben Shelton vs [12] Casper Ruud 

Margaret Court Arena

• Women’s Singles - [5] Elena Rybakina vs [21] Elise Mertens - Not before 10:30 a.m. IST
• Men’s Singles - [2] Jannik Sinner vs [22] Luciano Darderi - Not before 12:30 p.m. IST

John Cain Arena

• Women’s Singles - [4] Amanda Anisimova vs Xinyu Wang - Not before 8 a.m. IST

INDIANS TO WATCH OUT

• Kia Arena - Men’s Doubles, Round of 16 - [10] Yuki Bhambri (IND)/Andre Goransson vs Orlando Luz /Rafael Matos - 5:30 a.m. IST
• Court 15 - Junior Girls’ Doubles, First Round - Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi (IND)/Renee Alame vs [2] Victoria Barros/Ksenia Efremova

All eyes will be on the all-American showdown between Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula, while Iga Swiatek continues her quest for a Career Grand Slam against home hope Maddison Inglis.

It’s a big Monday ahead at Melbourne Park with the round of 16 taking centre stage, and defending champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys both set to feature as the second week of the Australian Open begins.