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12 Jan-1 Feb

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Open-era history: Ruud rounds out record-breaking AO field in last 16

  • ausopen.com

For the first time at a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era, the men’s singles fourth-round line-up is composed entirely of seeded players. 

The historic milestone was confirmed when 12th seed Casper Ruud completed a four-set victory over Marin Cilic late on Saturday night at MCA, ensuring no unseeded man would advance to the second week of Australian Open 2026.

 

 

"Marin is a tremendous player... I was thinking fifth [set], here we go," said former world No.2 Ruud after sealing a 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-5 triumph. "But suddenly a few mistakes came out of his racquet, and I was there to put one extra ball in, and luckily, I had a few points that went my way, and that's how tennis is."

Previously, the most seeds to progress to the fourth round in men's singles at a major was 15, which has transpired on 10 other occasions – most recently a decade ago at AO 2016.

In ascending order in this gallery, we showcase the 16 seeded men ready to commence their second-week campaigns at Melbourne Park in 2026.

No.1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, continuing his quest for the career Grand Slam, will face American Tommy Paul in the fourth round. [Getty Images]
No.2 seed Jannik Sinner has now won 17 Australian Open matches in a row, and will face countryman Luciano Darderi next. [Getty Images]
No.3 seed Alexander Zverev is through to the second week for the seventh time where he'll face Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. [Getty Images]
No.4 seed Novak Djokovic, a 10-time AO champion, plays Jakub Mensik in a rematch of the 2025 Miami Open final. [Getty Images]
No.5 seed Lorenzo Musetti is relishing his position as a top-five player, and will debut in the AO fourth round against Taylor Fritz. [Getty Images]
No.6 seed Alex de Minaur is bidding for his second straight AO quarterfinal when he plays Alexander Bublik. [Getty Images]
No.8 seed Ben Shelton begins another second-week appearance at the AO against Casper Ruud. [Getty Images]
No.9 seed Taylor Fritz, after ending Stan Wawrinka's run, next faces Lorenzo Musetti. [Getty Images]
No.10 seed Alexander Bublik is seeking his third straight win against Alex de Minaur when they meet in the fourth round. [Getty Images]
No.11 seed Daniil Medvedev, who faces an AO rematch with Learner Tien, is yet to lose a match in 2026 after winning the Brisbane title. [Getty Images]
Casper Ruud returns to the fourth round at Australian Open 2026
No.12 seed Casper Ruud returns to the fourth round, where he meets lefty Ben Shelton. [Getty Images]
No.16 seed Jakub Mensik next faces idol Novak Djokovic in the fourth round. [Getty Images]
No.18 seed Francisco Cerundolo, who next faces Alexander Zverev, has previously notched three wins over the third-seeded German. [Getty Images]
No.19 seed Tommy Paul, Carlos Alcaraz' next opponent, reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2023. [Getty Images]
No.22 seed Luciano Darderi, in his first Grand Slam fourth round, lines up against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner. [Getty Images]
No.25 seed Learner Tien is back in the fourth round of the AO for the second straight year, where he confronts Daniil Medvedev. [Getty Images]

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