Day 11 of the 2026 Australian Open: Djokovic Faces Sinner Again, Top Four Players Gather in Men’s Singles Semifinals!

On January 28th Beijing time, the 11th day of the 2026 Australian Open featured quarterfinal contests in the lower halves of both men’s and women’s singles brackets, confirming the semifinalists.

Lebarzhina Eliminates Swiatek to Reach Semifinals

In the opening two women’s quarterfinal matches on Rod Laver Arena, four top-10 players competed, but the lower-ranked contenders won both times. Between two title favorites, Lebarzhina used powerful serving and decisive play on key points to defeat six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek 7-5, 6-1, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2023 and marking her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance since Wimbledon 2024.

Lebarzhina

After the match, Lebarzhina said she drew confidence from her winning streak at the end of last year and carried that momentum into the new season, while Swiatek admitted she “completely couldn’t match her opponent’s intensity” in the second set and will have to wait until next year’s Australian Open to chase the career Grand Slam again.

Pegula

In the subsequent all-American clash, Pegula also won in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(1) over Anisimova, achieving her best result at Melbourne Park after three consecutive quarterfinal exits from 2021 to 2023. By eliminating two top-10 compatriots (including Keys in the fourth round), Pegula reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam outside the US Open for the first time (she was runner-up at 2024 US Open and semifinalist in 2025).

Lebarzhina and Pegula will face off tomorrow in their seventh meeting, each having won three matches previously. Lebarzhina took their most recent encounter at last year’s WTA Finals. If Pegula wins, she will set a new personal best at the Australian Open and reach another Grand Slam final following the 2024 US Open; if Lebarzhina prevails, she will make her second Australian Open final since 2023.

Musetti

On the men’s side, the “old vs. new” battle between Djokovic and Musetti began first. The Italian retired due to a sudden right thigh injury after leading by two sets. Being forced to quit just one set away from a Grand Slam semifinal was a huge blow for Musetti, who expressed his frustration at the post-match press conference: “Honestly, I never imagined playing so well while leading Novak by two sets and then having to retire. It’s really painful.”

Djokovic

Regarding his injury, Musetti said: “I felt something wrong with my right leg at the start of the second set. I kept playing because I was performing very well, but the pain kept worsening. I took a medical timeout and rested for about three minutes, but when I resumed, the pain intensified.”

Sinner

Djokovic’s semifinal opponent will be world No. 2 Sinner, who defeated American top player Shelton in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, reaching the Australian Open semifinals for the third consecutive year and extending his winning streak at Melbourne Park to 19 matches. The men’s singles semifinal lineup is composed entirely of the world’s top four players, underscoring its high quality. Djokovic trails 4-6 in their head-to-head record and has lost two of their last five encounters, making stopping the defending champion Sinner a tough challenge for the Serbian star.

Men’s Singles Semifinal Matchups

Alcaraz [1] vs. Zverev [3]

Sinner [2] vs. Djokovic [4]

Women’s Singles Semifinal Matchups

Sabalenka [1] vs. Svitolina [12]

Lebarzhina [5] vs. Pegula [6]

Zhang Shuai / Mertens

Zhang Shuai continues advancing in women’s doubles, pairing with Mertens as the 4th seeds to come back from a set down and defeat Hozumi/Wu 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semifinals, where they will face Shibahara/Ezvanleva.

In the juniors, Zhang Ruien and Qu Yihan both lost today, ending their runs in the girls’ singles round of 16. Zhang Ruien also failed to progress further in doubles. The wheelchair tennis event began today, with Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying both winning their opening singles matches and teaming up to reach the doubles semifinals. The No. 2 seeds Zhu Zhenzhen and Uechi Yui also advanced to the women’s doubles semifinals.

Results of Day 11 at the 2026 Australian Open