The Australian Open 2026 Wheelchair Championships commence on Wednesday 28 January, with some key matchups in the opening round of the men’s wheelchair singles tournament.
Defending champion and No.1 seed Alfie Hewett will face off against Japan’s Takuya Miki, while AO 2025 finalist Tokito Oda will play American Casey Ratzlaff.
Aussie wildcard Anderson Parker has drawn a tricky opening-round match against British AO 2016 champion Gordon Reid.
In quad wheelchair singles, seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and world No.1 Niels Vink will begin his campaign against Aussie wildcard Finn Broadbent. The Dutchman is looking to complete the career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park to go with his Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open trophies.
Four-time Australian Open quad doubles champion and two-time Paralympic medallist Heath Davidson has drawn fellow Aussie Benjamin Wenzel, while 16-year-old young gun Jin Woodman will play a qualifier in his opening-round match.
In the women’s wheelchair singles, defending champion Yui Kamiji will open against Dutchwoman Jiske Griffioen, while 42-time major champion Diede de Groot will play fellow Dutchwoman, wildcard Jinte Bos, in her opening-round match.
At Australian Open 2026, celebrating the 50th anniversary of wheelchair tennis, 15-time singles Grand Slam champion Dylan Alcott and Australian wheelchair tennis coach Greg Crump previewed the Wheelchair Championships at KIA Arena on Sunday.
The draw reveal featured a video to celebrate past wheelchair champions including De Groot, Hewett and Alcott himself.
Since the wheelchair events were integrated at AO 2002, the Australian Open has led the way in growing the sport of wheelchair tennis.
The Australian Wheelchair Tennis Summer Series 2026 was one of the biggest in the event’s history, introducing three brand-new Australian Wheelchair International tournaments in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide in January.
AO 2026 also marks the second year of the boys' and girls' wheelchair singles events, while there are also doubles events in all five disciplines, meaning 10 events will play out across Melbourne Park's courts from Tuesday.
Davidson recently reflected about the growth of wheelchair tennis at the Australian Open on The Sit-Down podcast.
“Australian Open was the first Slam to have wheelchair tennis, we’re the first Slam to have Centre Court matches, and we’re the first slam to go to 16 [player draws],” the 2023 Wimbledon finalist said
“We’re always first to do things, and I think that has a lot to do with the success that we’ve had over the journey.”
AO 2026 wheelchair main-draw action concludes with singles finals in all divisions on Saturday 31 January.