The six United Cup matches that will provide Australian Open clues

There are two obvious absentees from the lead-up tournaments to the 2026 Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Warm-up events are being held in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, and Adelaide before the first grand slam of the season, but the top two men’s players in the game will not be involved.

However, there will plenty of big-name Australian Open contenders in action down under before the first grand slam of the year kicks off at Melbourne Park on January 18, including Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

Here are six of the best matches to watch across the next week.

Alex de Minaur v Casper Ruud

Saturday, January 3; Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney

Australia’s world No.7 Alex de Minaur made it to the quarter-finals in his home grand slam in 2025. Can he go further this year?

A match against Norway’s Casper Ruud, a three-time major runner-up, at the United Cup to start the season will be a great test.

De Minaur came out on top in a recent exhibition match between the pair in London, while the Australian has beaten Ruud in their two official meetings on tour.

De Minaur wouldn’t expect to face an opponent as strong as Ruud until the second week of a grand slam, so this contest will be a good indicator of his form.

Alexander Zverev v Tallon Griekspoor

Sunday, January 4; Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney

World No.3 Zverev reached the 2025 Australian Open final, where he was well beaten by Jannik Sinner.

Since then, the German’s performances have been patchy as he struggled for consistency throughout the 2025 season.

Zverev defeated Dutchman Griekspoor in three of their four meetings in 2025, but one of those was a retirement and the other a walkover. Their matches tend to be close, often going to three sets with tiebreakers.

This meeting will be a good gauge of Zverev’s credentials for the men’s title at the Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka v Emma Raducanu

Sunday, January 4, RAC Arena, Perth

Two grand slam singles champions. What a match.

Osaka heads to Perth for the United Cup following a strong finish to the 2025 season, which included a semi-final appearance at the US Open.

On the other side of the net, Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, has battled injury and inconsistency but remains a massive threat when she finds her rhythm.

The two have only met once before – in Washington last year when Raducanu won in straight sets. This is exactly the kind of test these players want ahead of a major.

Jasmine Paolini v Belinda Bencic

Sunday, January 4; RAC Arena, Perth

This is a United Cup rematch.

Paolini and Bencic met at the tournament in Sydney last year, where Paolini dominated in a 6-1, 6-1 victory. But we can scratch that match from the record.

Bencic had just returned after taking maternity leave and has since rediscovered her best form, claiming the title in Tokyo in October.

Both players are expected to reach the second week at Melbourne Park, and are sure to bring the best out of each other when they clash in Perth.

Eva Lys v Iga Swiatek

Monday, January 5; Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney

Swiatek heads to Australia looking to complete the career slam, having won the other three majors, but she has always struggled to find her best in Melbourne.

The Pole made it as far as the semi-finals last year before losing to eventual champion Madison Keys, but two rounds earlier, she defeated Germany’s Lys – a breakout star of the tournament who went on to have her best season on tour.

It will be interesting to see if the pair can find similar form Down Under in 2026.

Maya Joint v Barbora Krejcikova

Tuesday, January 6; Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney

This match is not to be missed for all Australian tennis fans.

Joint begins her season for the first time as Australia’s highest-ranked female player after an exceptional 2025 campaign, which included two WTA titles. The next step for Joint is to start beating the best.

Don’t let Krejcikova’s ranking (No.65) fool you – the Czech is a two-time major champion. On her day, Krejcikova is one of the trickiest players on tour, but her past few seasons have been disrupted by injury.

This is a true test for Joint, who will be hoping to be seeded at Melbourne Park for the first time.

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