Australian Open: Five players to watch | ATP Tour

The Australian Open

Five Challenger players to watch at the Australian Open

Sakamoto, Jodar will meet in the opening round of the youth tournament

January 17, 2026

From the #NextGenATP tournament in the opening round, to former college standouts and other rising talents, ATPTour.com highlights five ATP Challenger players to watch during the Australian Open.

Rei Sakamoto
The 19-year-old lifted the men’s singles title in 2024 in Melbourne, becoming the first Japanese player to win a junior title at the Australian Open. Since then, the 6’4” (193cm) teenager has made a splash on the ATP Challenger circuit, including last November’s victory on home soil at the Yokohama Challenger, his final tournament of 2025.

The first Japanese teenager to win three Challenger titles, Sakamoto advanced to the Melbourne qualifier to make his first appearance at a major tournament. He started with a strong 6-1, 6-2 victory against World No. Sakamoto will face 19-year-old Rafael Jodar in the first round.

Rafael Jodar
It will be an exciting opening clash between two rising talents, Sakamoto and Jodar. Not only is the Spaniard competing in his first major draw, this past week marked his first attempt to qualify for a Slam – a feat that has been accomplished. Jodar Challenger’s results were a significant stepping stone to where he is today.

In the second half of the 2025 season, Jodar won three Challenger titles in as many months en route to qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. On New Year’s Eve, the 19-year-old announced he had turned pro, giving up his remaining eligibility at the University of Virginia, where he spent two seasons. He started the season with a run to the final of the Canberra Challenger, where he fell to 2025 Jeddah runner-up Alexander Blockx. Jodar is at a career high No. 150 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Liam Draxl
The Canadian was one of two players (Emilio Nava) to hit a season-best 44-game winning streak at the Challenger level in 2025. Draxl, 24, won on a strong field in Winnipeg in July and reached six additional finals to complete his career-best year. Now, the former University of Kentucky standout turns his attention to his first main-draw appearance.

Draxl nearly disqualified himself when he suffered a 3-6, 3-5 loss against Mackenzie McDonald in the final round. Two points down at 3-5 in the second set, Draxl hit a backhand to end a thrilling exchange where the American had a chance to put it on top. Draxl came back strong to win 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, earning his place in the main event in a surprising manner. He will start against Damir Dzumhur.

Raphael Collignon
The 23-year-old will look to rekindle his memories of last year’s US Open, where he reached the third round of a Slam for the first time, defeating 12th seed Casper Ruud in a five-set, three-hour, 30-minute battle along the way. The Belgian faces a tough test from fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti in his Melbourne opener.

Ranked as high as No. 72 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Collignon reached his second career-level quarter-final in Brisbane earlier this month. He is competing in the Australian Open major tournament for the first time. Collignon, whose father is a brain surgeon, raised two Challenger trophies in 2025 (Pau, Monza).

Patrick Kypson
A seven-time Challenger champion, Kypson was among six players to win as many titles (4) at that level in 2025. The 26-year-old earned a spot in the majors by winning the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge last November, largely helped by wins at the Sioux Falls and Helsinki Challengers.

Competing in Melbourne for the second time (2024) and looking for his first major win, Kypson starts against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.

The incoming slam debut 🔜

Arthur Gea, Rafael Jodar, Rei Sakamoto, Francesco Maestrelli, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Michael Zheng and Liam Draxl punched their ticket @Australian Open draw main!#ATPChallenger | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/VHsR4k90H9

– ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) January 15, 2026