Leader in ATP world rankings Carlos Alcaraz He held a press conference after defeating Adam Walton in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open:

– Carlos, congratulations on the successful start of the tournament. How would you evaluate today’s match? Frankly, the second set was tense, but in the end did you get through it without any losses?

– I can say that it was a difficult match for me. In the first set, everything was decided by a break. He made a few mistakes on his first serve. He also played very well, very reliably, and I think he was constantly trying to find a position to attack as much as possible.

In the second set, he started to find more space for aggressive play. In general, I played good tennis, but in one of the games I lost my concentration a little – mostly when I was fighting with myself, and after that everything became more difficult.

But overall I am satisfied. To be honest, I was ready for a serious battle. Although the level it showed was a bit of a surprise to me. I had to pull myself together and be ready for this battle. I’m happy with the first match of the season and the level I was able to show.

– Carlos, congratulations. What are you most pleased with today and what do you think needs to be improved to go far again in the tournament group?

“I think I hit the ball well.” Of course it could have been played better. But I’m glad I did everything I had to do. I acted correctly in terms of behavior and mental attitude on the field. I always had a good attitude, always tried to think positively. I think I did a good job with that and that was one of the main goals of this match.

In terms of tactics and the level of play in general, I understand that there are many aspects that need to be improved for the next round if I want to go further.

– Carlos, for many the quarter-finals are an excellent result, but you have not yet progressed further in this tournament. Do you have an explanation for why you performed less well than others at this Grand Slam?

– Yes, this is a little difficult for me to explain. It’s strange that I haven’t made it past the quarter-finals in Australia yet because I think I’m playing good tennis here. I played very well here for the last two years, but lost to Isner and Djokovic in the quarter-finals. If you are the first or second racket in the world, let’s say these are not the most ordinary opponents at this stage.

This is not an excuse, but I really want to do better than previous years. I have a feeling that this season I might have a chance to go further.

January 19, Ukrainian tennis player Yulia Starodubtseva (WTA 110) will begin play in the 2026 Australian Open main draws.

In the first round, the Ukrainian player will play against the Australian representative Aily Tomljanovic (WTA76). The match will kick off with the opener of the evening session at John Cain Arena. The estimated start time of the match is 08.00 Kyiv time.

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This will be the second head-to-head meeting between the rivals. The score is 1:0 in favor of Ayla.

The winner of the match will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Romania, WTA 79) in the second match.

DAY CALENDAR

TOURNAMENT TABLE

On November 19, Yulia Starodubtseva (WTA 110) and Ayla Tomljanovic (WTA 76) will start competing at the Australian Open.

The meeting is planned to start at 08.00 Kyiv time.

Sport.ua together with a betting partner bet announcing the upcoming fight!

Yulia Starodubtseva

The Ukrainian athlete has already played six matches this season and won five of them. Starodubtseva started with a tournament held in Auckland, where she successfully qualified by beating Frenchwoman Ponchet and Austrian Tagger. Katie Boulter suffered defeat in the first round of the main round.

The tennis player also started the Australian Open with the qualifiers, where she beat the Frenchwoman Tubello 6:2, 3:6, 6:0. Then there were victories against the Greek Papamikhail, 6:1, 6:2. In the qualifying final, Starodubtseva defeated Bulgarian Tomova with sets 7:6, 6:2. The Ukrainian player is in good form ahead of this season’s first Grand Slam.

Ayla Tomljanovic

The Australian athlete is a typical middle player in world tennis. Even though there are breaks, it has been in the top 100 for a long time. Tomlyanovich is 32 years old, he can already be considered a veteran. Although the Australian Open is a tennis player’s home tournament, he performs worst here because he has never been able to advance beyond the second round.

Tomljanovic started this season with a tournament in Brisbane, where she defeated France’s Jacquemo with scores of 6:1, 6:3 and then lost in a tough fight to the powerful Carolina Muchova with scores of 6:4, 1:6, 6:7. There was also a tournament in Adelaide where they managed to beat Clara Towson 7:6, and the opponent refused. Ayla, who was ahead 2:0 in the first set of the second round, withdrew from the match due to a knee injury at 40:40 in her serve. It is unclear at this time whether he is 100% physically ready.

personal meetings

Tennis players met only once, it was in September last year, then in Beijing Tomljanovic managed to win in two sets: 7:6 and 6:2.

To guess

This couple does not have a clear favorite, maybe it will be easier for the Australian, the public will support him, his body is more accustomed to such a time zone. For tennis players at this level, every victory in a major is extremely valuable.

I am waiting for a difficult and unpredictable match that can end with any outcome, I will bet on more than 20.5 matches for 1.66.

Prediction Sport.ua

Yulia Starodubtseva

19.01.2026 –

08:00

Ayla Tomljanovic

Total over 20.5 1.66 place a bet KRAIL License No. 559 dated 12/05/2024

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