America’s WTA stars have performed emphatically so far at the 2026 Australian Open.
Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova have led the way – neither player has lost a set on their way to the third round.
Madison Keys, the defending Australian Open champion, survived a tough battle against Ashlyn Krueger on Thursday, while Jessica Pegula demolished McCartney Kessler 6-0, 6-2.
Iva Jovic, Hailey Baptiste and Peyton Stearns have also made it through to the third round in Melbourne.
The American contingent of WTA players have performed admirably, and their latest efforts have seen them achieve something American tennis has not witnessed in 11 years.
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American WTA players make history at the Australian Open
As per statisticians OptaAce, the US are the first nation to have seven players in the Australian Open third round since 2015.
Remarkably, the last nation to do so was also the US. The seven players to make the Australian Open third round in 2015 were: Serena Williams, Madison Keys, CoCo Vandeweghe, Madison Brengle, Venus Williams, Varvara Lepchenko and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Serena Williams, the 23-time major singles champion, won the 2015 Australian Open title after defeating Maria Sharapova in the final.
The 2026 American contingent deserve a significant amount of praise for their achievement at this year’s Australian Open.
The presence of seven American women in the third round proves that the country has a greater depth in talent than any other nation.
The US are at the forefront of women’s tennis, and have been for some time.
Five months ago, Coco Gauff attempted to explain why there were five US women ranked in the top 15 on the WTA Tour. This fact remains the same in January 2026.
Two American women are guaranteed to exit the Australian Open in the third round
Unfortunately for American tennis fans, two of their stars will exit the tournament in the third round.
This is because there are two all-American contests: Coco Gauff will take on Hailey Baptiste, while Peyton Stearns will play Amanda Anisimova.
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Credit: Sofascore
There could be another guaranteed exit in the fourth round. If Pegula and Keys defeat Oksana Selekhmeteva and Karolina Pliskova in the third round, they will play each other in the round of 16.
The remaining American is Iva Jovic, who will play Jasmine Paolini in the third round.
