Undefeated in 2026, Belinda Bencic continued her rich vein of form to storm into the second round of Australian Open 2026.
Recently returned to the top 10, the Swiss star -- who went 5-0 for her country in singles at the United Cup -- beat Katie Boulter in straight sets to lead a host of big names onto the next stage at Melbourne Park.
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Joining her there were 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova, rising Indonesian star Janice Tjen, and many more on Tuesday.
Bencic is now a perfect 6-0 in 2026 after going undefeated at the United Cup, and then beating Boulter 6-0 7-5 at Margaret Court Arena.
Pliskova, a former world No.1, returned to the court for the first time since September and ended the run of qualifier Sloane Stephens 7-6(7) 6-2, her first Grand Slam win since the 2024 US Open.
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Pliskova, who underwent two ankle surgeries and missed almost the entire 2025 season, next meets Janice Tjen (pictured below), who continued her exciting rise in the game with a 6-2 7-6(1) upset of 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez.
This time last year, Tjen was ranked outside the top 400.
Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko snapped a six-match losing streak with a 6-4 6-4 triumph over Rebecca Sramkova.
The 24th seed, an Australian Open quarterfinalist in 2023, moves on to a second-round meeting with Wang Xinyu.
Kalinskaya, the 31st seed, overcame Sonay Kartal in straight sets to book a second-round clash with Julia Grabher. In her last visit to Melbourne Park, Kalinskaya advanced to the quarterfinals.