Images from Day 3 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
Sinner through after Gaston retires
Double defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday in just over an hour of tennis after his French opponent Hugo Gaston retired upon losing the first two sets 6-2 6-1.
In his first official match since beating Carlos Alcaraz for the ATP Finals crown, the Italian world number two was in ominous form on the Rod Laver Arena court he has ruled for two years before the match was cut short.
After losing the second set, Gaston gestured he could no longer continue and retired to his seat to cry under a towel.
Sinner said he was surprised by the retirement but could see Gaston was not at his best.
Sinner will continue his bid for a third successive Australian Open crown against the winner of James Duckworth and Dino Prizmic.
Shelton trumps Humbert in battle of left-handers
American eighth seed Ben Shelton relied on his power and tiebreak prowess to beat Ugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in an engrossing battle of left-handers at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday to reach the Australian Open second round.
Shelton, who lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in last year's semi-finals, blasted through the first set but the Frenchman fought back in the second and third sets to force tiebreaks.
But that was where the American prevailed, counting on his experience from last year when he was involved in eight tiebreaks in six matches at Melbourne Park.
"I thought that I just played two great tiebreakers. I've played a lot of tiebreakers here, a lot of experience, and I think that helped me a lot today," Shelton said.
Shelton lit up the court from the outset, thundering down a 229kph serve on just the second point of the match and breaking early to surge into a 3–1 lead.
One massive delivery struck Humbert flush on the arm, prompting an immediate apology from Shelton, though the message of intent was clear as the Frenchman struggled to deal with the sustained power coming from across the net.
Shelton also produced a moment of brilliance when he squeezed an improbable return between a ball kid and the net post to steal a point, before sealing the set with a crisp crosscourt forehand winner.
Having been outplayed for 75 minutes, Humbert suddenly got the measure of Shelton in the second set as they traded breaks and the American's unforced error count climbed.
Despite being down a break twice in the second set, a resilient Humbert fought back to level but his razor-sharp returns deserted him when it mattered most in the tiebreak as Shelton raced through to a two-set lead.
The third set became a serving masterclass, with both players giving no quarter on their first serves and break points were in short supply as they headed into a second tiebreak, where Humbert jumped to a 3-0 lead.
But Shelton clawed his way back before letting out a triumphant scream as he fired a forehand winner down the line on match point, handing Humbert a first loss in four Grand Slam matches against a lefthander.
"I thought I stayed really calm today... Playing Ugo first round is a tough draw," Shelton added.
"I felt like I found some of my better tennis later in the match and that's all you can hope for. I'm looking forward to trying to continue this form and make it better and better throughout the tournament."
Defending champion Keys advances
Madison Keys began her Australian Open title defence with a nervy 7-6(6), 6-1 victory over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova on Tuesday, while fellow American Ben Shelton defeated Ugo Humbert in a battle of lefthanders to reach the second round.
Long queues formed outside Melbourne Park for a third straight morning with many keen to watch Jannik Sinner, who faces Hugo Gaston in his first hurdle towards winning a third straight title at the year's opening Grand Slam.
A year on from her triumph on the blue courts Down Under, Keys was in all kinds of trouble early on at Rod Laver Arena in her opener against Oliynykova, who was appearing at a Grand Slam for the first time.
A double break down thanks to some untimely double faults, Keys trailed 4-0 before fighting back, drawing level at 4-4, but the American was dragged into a tiebreak where the unorthodox Oliynykova caused chaos with her deep, looping shots.
Oliynykova brought up two set points but Keys erased the deficit with some trademark big-hitting to eventually snatch a tense tiebreak, punctuating her escape with a roar.
The second set was much more routine as Keys closed out the victory to set up a second-round match against compatriot Ashlyn Krueger.
"It was incredible to walk out for the first time since walking off of the court a year ago," a relieved Keys said. "Obviously I was very nervous at the start but I'm just so happy to be back and playing here.
"I spoke to Lindsay Davenport the other day and she reminded me that not many people get to go out there and defend a Grand Slam. So I'm just trying to embrace it and enjoy it. As nervous as I was at the start, I'm glad I got through that match."
Indonesia's Tjen shocks Fernandez
Wildcard Taylah Preston gave home fans something to cheer by beating China's Zhang Shuai 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 for her first Grand Slam match win but Maya Joint was unable to join her in the second round, Australia's number one losing 6-4 6-4 to Tereza Valentova.
Former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez also exited after the 22nd seed lost 6-2, 7-6(1) to Janice Tjen, who became the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.
Lorenzo Musetti advanced after Raphael Collignon retired while trailing 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2, the fifth seed's win setting up an all-Italian match-up with Lorenzo Sonego.
Luciano Darderi beat Cristian Garin 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(3) but did not stick around long to celebrate, the Italian 22nd seed sprinting to the toilet after shaking his opponent's hand.
Key Points:
- Madison Keys recovered from a slow start to beat Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova, who was making her Grand Slam debut.
- Janice Tjen is the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.
- Eighth seed Ben Shelton, who lost to Jannik Sinner in last year's semi-finals, battled to victory against Ugo Humbert.
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