Taking the win: 10 players on the rise after AO 2026

The emergence of Learner Tien and Iva Jovic has rightly dominated the Australian Open narrative in 2026, but they are far from the only players to depart Melbourne Park with momentum.

Here are five men and five women whose stocks rose sharply in January.

“I think it's the first time playing three out of five. The first match went five sets, going through qualifying. It's been a lot of tennis,” Zheng said.

A two-time NCAA singles champion and former Wimbledon Junior Boys finalist, Zheng currently sits at world No.174 and is tipped to break the top 100 after finishing his degree.

Eliot Spizzirri

University of Texas product Eliot Spizzirri showed why college players are some of the toughest competitors on tour. Spizzirri pushed two-time champion Jannik Sinner in the third round, taking the first set and performing strongly in a four-set defeat.

READ: Spizzirri's special preparation ahead of Sinner clash

“I pride myself on my fitness and my physicality and the work I put in in the gym,” Spizzirri said. “I thought it was an opportunity to showcase my physicality.”

In his Australian Open main-draw debut, Spizzirri upset 26th seed Joao Fonseca in four sets before outlasting Wu Yibing in five. Having broken into the top 100 after US Open 2025, his next milestone will be a top 50 ranking, with a maiden ATP title also within sight.

Francisco Cerundolo

Francisco Cerundolo posted his best hardcourt Grand Slam performance to date, upsetting 13th seed Andrey Rublev to reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

READ: Cerundolo streak rolls on, Fery springs a surprise

Even without a title in 2025, the 27-year-old Argentine enjoyed a career year, winning 38 of 63 matches. Now with a string of strong hardcourt results, No.21-ranked Cerundolo has the belief to compete on every surface and looks well-positioned to climb further up the rankings in 2026.

Luciano Darderi

After reaching the third round at two majors last year, Luciano Darderi has taken another step with a fourth-round showing at Melbourne Park, losing to his countryman, defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“I've been feeling so good. I think we did a good preseason on hard, and last week I took a lot of confidence in Auckland because I made my first quarter-final on hard court,” Darderi said.

Ethan Quinn

Ethan Quinn dispatched 23rd seed Tallon Griekspoor in the first round, before an eyebrow-raising straight sets victory over former world No.6 Hubert Hurkacz.

“There were a lot of Polish fans out there, which reminded me of college… I think that was really, really special,” Quinn said.

Quinn has a career-high ranking of No.64, and with a profile perfectly suited to the best-of-five format, it’s only a matter of time until he’s seeded in majors.

Women

Nikola Bartunkova

Nikola Bartunkova dropped just one set in qualifying before carrying that momentum into the main draw, opening her campaign with a statement win over Daria Kasatkina. The 19-year-old backed in the second round, eliminating 10th seed Belinda Bencic.

Ranked No.112, Sonmez did not drop a set in qualifying before producing one of the first round’s standout upsets, defeating 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. She went on to reach the third round, fuelled by a crowd she described as feeling “like home.”

The run at Melbourne Park is the perfect launchpad to improve on a career-high No.69 ranking she achieved last October.

Taylah Preston

Taylah Preston broke through at the Hobart International, defeating fifth seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and top seed Emma Raducanu - her first top-30 win - to reach the semifinals. She narrowly lost in three sets to eventual AO quarterfinalist Iva Jovic but carried that form into Melbourne.

Competing as a wildcard, the 20-year-old claimed her first main-draw Grand Slam victory with a straight-sets win over world No.75 Zhang Shuai.

The world No.161 captured three ITF titles in 2025 and is a key figure in an emerging cohort of Australian women pushing towards the top level.

“I think I could really see the improvements that I've been making throughout the pre-season and now through this month,” Wang said. “I'm just hoping to keep the momentum. Not just thinking to maintain… I would always want to improve more.”

Karolina Pliskova

There are few heights left for Karolina Pliskova to climb. The 33-year-old is a former world No.1, a Grand Slam finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open, an Australian Open and Roland Garros semifinalist, and a 17-time WTA titleholder. Yet her run at AO26 stood out for different reasons.

Entering the tournament ranked outside the top 1000, Pliskova reached the third round, earning a meeting with defending champion Madison Keys. Competing in her first major since retiring at the 2024 US Open, the Czech said her focus was simply on rediscovering match play and rhythm.

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