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Lobs and volleys: The best of Day 6 at AO 2026

  • Bede Briscomb

There’s so much happening at the Australian Open. It can be tough to keep up!

That’s why we’re rounding up the best, wildest and most talked-about moments every day of the AO, all in one place, bite-sized and easy to catch up on - so you never miss a moment.

Best shot – Carlos Alcaraz

It’s hard to condense the full Carlos Alcaraz experience into one point, but this piece of magic against Corentin Moutet gets pretty close.

Best celebration – Yulia Putintseva

Qualifier Zeynep Sonmez’s run had everyone at Melbourne Park talking during the first two rounds of AO26 - and Yulia Putintseva heard every bit of it. The Kazakhstani ended Sonmez’s surge in front of a passionate Turkish crowd and made sure they knew it.

Best story – Learner Tien

Learner Tien defeated Nuno Borges in his third-round match, successfully defending the run to the round of 16 he made in his main-draw debut last season. 

At 20, the win also makes him the second-youngest American to reach back-to-back men’s singles fourth rounds at a single Grand Slam, after Andy Roddick at the US Open (2001-03).

He now faces Daniil Medvedev, with the No.11 seed seeking revenge after a five-set loss to Tien last year.

“We both don't make it easy on our opponents," he said. "So, naturally, we're not making it easy on each other.”

Best win – Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev became the first player at AO26 to come back from two sets down, earning a hard-fought victory over Hungarian world No.47 Fabian Marozsan. 
 


 
Best stat – Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka’s third-round win over Anastasia Potapova was a nail-biter, the No.1 seed requiring two tiebreaks to advance 7-6(9) 7-6(9).

Sabalenka has now won 19 consecutive Grand Slam tiebreaks, dating back to Roland Garros 2023, tying Novak Djokovic’s streak from 2005 to 2007.