Argentines gear up for the Australian Open 2026: Who has the best shot at becoming a champion

The 2026 tennis season is kicking into action, with the first major tournament of the year, the Australian Open, set to begin on Sunday. The Grand Slam, hosted in Melbourne under the intense heat of the Australian summer, will see at least 12 Argentine players taking to the courts. Cerúndolo leads the men’s singles effort In the men’s singles draw, world No.20 Francisco Cerúndolo will lead the way. The 27-year-old is not only the best ranked Argentine, but also the leading South American, with Brazilian Joao Fonseca close behind him at 30th.  The build up to the tournament wasn’t great for Cerúndolo, who fell in straight sets to Spain’s Jaume Munar (ATP singles ranked 38th) at the Adelaide International round of 16.  However, with his aggressive and powerful gamestyle, he remains Argentina’s best chance to make it all the way. He defends 100 points from a third-round result in 2025. He’ll debut against China’s Zhang Zhizhen (362). Báez continues 2026 hot streak A player who arrives better prepared for the tournament is Sebastián Báez (40), who’s enjoying a bit of a renaissance after a difficult 2025 season. The former world No.18 went unbeaten while representing Argentina a few days ago in the 2026 United Cup, a mixed-gender team tournament. He beat Spain’s Munar, world No.9 Taylor Fritz from the U.S. and Swiss legend Stan Wawrinka. Baez also won the two matches he’s played so far at the Auckland Open, for a 5-0 record in 2026. He’s set to defend just 10 points after bowing out in the first round last year. He’ll again have a tough time to advance this year as he’s set to face big serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (63). Plenty more Argentine representation in the men’s singles Six more Argentines will feature in the men’s singles draw. Camilo Ugo Carabelli (49) will debut against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics (55). Tomás Etcheverry (60) will face Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. Francisco Comesaña (61) will match  up against U.S. player Patrick Kypson (116). Mariano Navone (72) will battle Serbian Hamad Medjedovic (96). Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (85) will face local Jordan Thompson (111)  and Thiago Tirante (101), the last player to directly access the main draw, will match up with another Australian, Aleksandar Vukic (87). Etcheverry is the one who went further in 2025, when he reached the second round, so he’s the only one who could lose important points if his performance isn’t as good this year. Marco Trungelliti, Roman Burruchaga, Juan Ficovich, Alex Barrena, Facundo Díaz Acosta and Genaro Olivieri were all eliminated in the qualifying rounds. Sierra alone in the women’s singles The 2025 Wimbledon phenomenon Solana Sierra will be the only Argentine player in the women’s singles draw, having secured direct entrance thanks to her 66th place in the WTA singles ranking. The 21-year-old from Mar del Plata looks to build on what was the most outstanding season of her career. She’ll be competing at the Australian Open main draw for the first time, having fallen in the first qualifying round the previous year. Sierra arrives at Melbourne with mixed results, with a win and two losses at the United Cup and a second round loss at preparatory tournament Hobart International. She’ll match up against Moyuka Uchijima from Japan in the first round of the Australian Open. Jazmín Ortenzi, Julia Riera, Lourdes Carlé and Luisina Giovannini all fell in the qualifying rounds, which means the Argentine female representation will suffer a steep decline this year after having three main draw representatives in 2025. Doubles brings hope with Zeballos Horacio Zeballos’s racket definitely holds Argentina’s best shot at having a champion at Melbourne Park in 2026. The 40-year-old is currently the world No.5 in the ATP doubles rankings, and is fresh off winning Roland Garros and the US Open in 2025, alongside his frequent partner Marcel Granollers, from Spain. Argentina’s Davis Cup doubles team of Máximo González (36) and Andrés Molteni (25) will also be competing. How to watch the 2026 Australian Open in Argentina? In Argentina, the tournament can be viewed live on cable TV sports signals ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3, either on TV or through the cable provider’s digital streaming services.It can also be watched online via streaming service Disney+, although some matches may require the Premium pack to access.