Open-era history: Ruud rounds out record-breaking AO field in last 16

For the first time at a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era, the men’s singles fourth-round line-up is composed entirely of seeded players.

The historic milestone was confirmed when 12th seed Casper Ruud completed a four-set victory over Marin Cilic late on Saturday night at MCA, ensuring no unseeded man would advance to the second week of Australian Open 2026.

"Marin is a tremendous player... I was thinking fifth [set], here we go," said former world No.2 Ruud after sealing a 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-5 triumph. "But suddenly a few mistakes came out of his racquet, and I was there to put one extra ball in, and luckily, I had a few points that went my way, and that's how tennis is."

Previously, the most seeds to progress to the fourth round in men's singles at a major was 15, which has transpired on 10 other occasions – most recently a decade ago at AO 2016.

In ascending order in this gallery, we showcase the 16 seeded men ready to commence their second-week campaigns at Melbourne Park in 2026.

Click here to read article