The first round at the first Major of the year is over, and as such, what was once a 128-player draw at the Australian Open has now been cut in half.<\/p>\n
We have already had epic matches, major upsets, and inspiring stories, and here is a breakdown of how every seeded men\u2019s player has performed so far, ahead of the start of the second round.<\/p>\n
Moutet simply had too many options from the back of the court in his opening-round match, cruising through comfortably and looking sharp in the early stages of the tournament.<\/p>\n
When the Greek lost the first set and then took a medical timeout, it felt like the same old story<\/a>. To his credit, he responded well, raised his level, and closed the match out in four sets.<\/p>\n Coming into the match with very little experience in best-of-five tennis<\/a>, Vacherot performed admirably. He served well throughout and did enough to book a spot in the second round.<\/p>\n The American, looking to rebuild after a disastrous 2025 season<\/a>, has started 2026 with some genuinely encouraging tennis and will be pleased with his opening performance.<\/p>\n With much of the pre-tournament focus on his back issues, Fonseca struggled to find rhythm<\/a>. Combined with an inspired opponent, it resulted in a first-round exit.<\/p>\n In his sixth appearance at the Australian Open, Nakashima has yet to win a match here. Once again, his Melbourne struggles continued as he now needs to figure out how to better prepare for this tournament.<\/p>\n Norrie came through a tough match from two sets to one down, once again proving that even when his tennis isn\u2019t clicking, his endurance can still carry him through.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A bad tiebreak away from crashing out, Tien adjusted well<\/a> to not only clutch up but also go on to dominate the fifth set in yet another Major first-round victory.<\/p>\n The Frenchman came into the match with physical concerns, and it showed. He was never fully able to impose himself and exited in the first round.<\/p>\n The Dutchman\u2019s run of poor form continued, as he lost in fairly one-sided fashion in a match he probably should have been more competitive in.<\/p>\n Not typically known for his hard-court game<\/a>, Darderi did well to overcome a fellow clay-courter and claim a confidence-boosting first-round win.<\/p>\n Shapovalov remains one of the most unpredictable players on tour<\/a>. Against Bu, he showed flashes of his best level and managed to navigate his way through.<\/p>\n The first-seeded player to fall at this tournament, Cobolli will be deeply disappointed with how his time in Melbourne<\/a> unfolded.<\/p>\n With fitness concerns<\/a> surrounding him coming into the match, Paul answered most of those questions emphatically with a straight-sets win.<\/p>\n A solid opening performance, and with a manageable second-round opponent ahead, another third-round appearance looks very realistic.<\/p>\n While it was clear Lehecka wasn\u2019t fully fit, few expected him to lose in such a dominant fashion, as he had a frustrating early setback to his season.<\/p>\n Burying some past demons, Mensilk won a five-set match for a change. In these conditions, he could be one to watch going forward.<\/p>\n In a rematch of his humbling defeat here last year, Khachanov produced a strong performance to come through a tightly contested five-set battle.<\/p>\n The Spaniard won his first-round match comfortably and now sets up an intriguing second-round clash with big-serving Reilly Opelka<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rublev, who has arguably slipped a tier in the tennis elite hierarchy<\/a> over the past year, delivered a complete performance and took care of business efficiently.<\/p>\n Arriving in Melbourne with concerns surrounding both his form and fitness<\/a>, Ruud responded with a solid display to extend his stay at the tournament.<\/p>\n The former world No.1 looks better with each passing match<\/a> this season and now has a golden opportunity to reach the third round of a Major for the first time in over a year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Kazakh continued his strong form, brushing aside a dangerous opponent in Jenson Brooksby<\/a> with impressive ease.<\/p>\n Still managing a lingering knee issue<\/a>, Fritz nonetheless relied on his serve and counterpunching to secure a four-set victory.<\/p>\n Shelton arguably delivered the most confidence-boosting performance of the first round. Against a dangerous opponent, he held firm in three tight sets.<\/p>\n The first big casualty among the top seeds<\/a>. It\u2019s unfortunate for the Canadian, who came into the season with momentum but suffered a physical setback at the worst time.<\/p>\n Death, taxes, and Alex de Minaur comfortably beating opponents he is supposed to beat. A potential clash with Medjedovic in the next round<\/a> promises real excitement.<\/p>\n Facing an inspired opponent and not fully fit himself, Musetti did well<\/a> to regain control of the match before his opponent was forced to retire.<\/p>\n The 24-time major champion looked as sharp as ever, cruising to an efficient and at times jaw-dropping straight-sets win in his first match in nearly three months<\/a>.<\/p>\n With significant pressure on him to defend final points here, Zverev wasn\u2019t at his very best, but a win over a dangerous opponent<\/a> should boost his confidence.<\/p>\n30. Valentin Vacherot<\/h4>\n
29. Frances Tiafoe<\/h4>\n
28. Joao Fonseca<\/h4>\n
27. Brandon Nakashima<\/h4>\n
26. Cameron Norrie<\/h4>\n
25. Learner Tien<\/h4>\n
24. Arthur Rinderknech<\/h4>\n
23. Tallon Griekspoor<\/h4>\n
22. Luciano Darderi<\/h4>\n
21. Denis Shapovalov<\/h4>\n
20. Flavio Cobolli<\/h4>\n
19. Tommy Paul<\/h4>\n
18. Francisco Cerundolo<\/h4>\n
17. Jir\u00ed Lehecka<\/h4>\n
16. Jakub Mensik<\/h4>\n
15. Karen Khachanov<\/h4>\n
14. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina<\/h4>\n
13. Andrey Rublev<\/h4>\n
12. Casper Ruud<\/h4>\n
11. Daniil Medvedev<\/h4>\n
10. Alexander Bublik<\/h4>\n
9. Taylor Fritz<\/h4>\n
8. Ben Shelton<\/h4>\n
7. Felix Auger-Aliassime<\/h4>\n
6. Alex de Minaur<\/h4>\n
5. Lorenzo Musetti<\/h4>\n
4. Novak Djokovic<\/h4>\n
3. Alexander Zverev<\/h4>\n
2. Jannik Sinner<\/h4>\n