Alcaraz sets up de Minaur SHOWDOWN, Gauff BATTLES back + Djokovic gets LUCKY | Australian Open 2026

We are getting to the business end of the Australian Open and Day 8 brought statement wins for the top Men’s seeds with Alcaraz, Zverev and de Minaur winning in emphatic style. Particularly impressive was home hope Alex de Minaur who took out his Roland-Garros conqueror Alexander Bublik in style, winning emphatically 6-4 6-1 6-1. The big question on Australia’s lips is can he do the impossible and take out World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals to make his first slam semi. Also causing a shock in a rematch from last year was Next Gen favourite Learner Tien who bageled Daniil Medvedev as he made it to his first quarter-final and as the youngest since 2015 to do it at Melbourne Park..

On the women’s side Coco Gauff rallied past tricky customer Karolina Muchova to make another quarterfinal in Australia where she will face off against veteran of the game Elina Svitolina who got the better of Mirra Andreeva in the night session, Svitolina has gone 9-0 in 2026 after ending her season following her first round defeat at the US Open last year. In the first match on Rod Laver, Sabalenka won her 20th consecutive tiebreak at grand slam level to oust teenage sensation Mboko but will have to do it again when she takes on another teen sensation Iva Jovic in the last 8.
The team are also joined by their by David MacCallum, Director & General Manager of STH Group, the company responsible for all things AO Travel and Experiences. He joins the pod to tell Chris and our listeners more about their exciting offering and how you can secure the best AO Experience for 2027.

AO Travel & Experiences

Learn more and book your tickets through AO Travel & Experiences at ausopentravel.com

SOCIALS

.com.

MERCH

Purchase Tennis Weekly Merch through our Etsy store including limited edition designs by Krippa Design where all proceeds go towards the podcast so we can keep doing what we do!
tinyurl.com/56psxbxb

REVIEWS

***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!***

00:00 - Intro
01:27 - AD AO Travel & Experiences
03:01 - Pegula Cheese and Apple Pie debate
05:50 - Alcaraz elevates game against Paul
09:35 - Carlos Alcaraz new logo
13:52 - De Minaur sets up Alcaraz clash
17:33 - Tien beats Medvedev AGAIN
21:37 - Tien vs Zverev
24:28 - Interview with David MacCallum
41:28 - Sabalenka breaks Djokovic record
47:50 - Sabalenka Mixed Doubles with Djokovic
49:33 - Gauff through against Muchova
51:31 - Svitolina keeps 9 match winning streak going
58:20 - Day 9 Preview