With Jessica Pegula losing to Elena Rybakina in the semifinals, the American contingent’s challenge ended at the 2026 Australian Open. Across the men’s and women’s draws, 40 American players were in action in Melbourne this year. Let’s take a look at how much money some of the top American players have earned from their respective stints in Melbourne this time around.
Jessica Pegula Is Going Home With The Most Earnings Among The American Players
As mentioned earlier, Pegula was the highlight for the American players at the 2026 Australian Open, reaching the semifinals. She had not dropped a set until then, but ran into a red-hot Rybakina, losing 3-6, 6-7 (7), despite having a couple of set points in the second set to take the match to a deciding third set.
Her semifinal run meant Pegula earned A$1,250,000, which amounts to $879,105. This was her first semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, third overall at the Grand Slam stage.
Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton, Iva Jovic, Learner Tien, and Amanda Anisimova All Made Quarterfinal Exits
The quarterfinal lineup at the 2026 Australian Open featured several American players. In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, and newcomer Iva Jovic had made it to the last eight, along with Pegula. However, from a results perspective, it was not happy hunting for the American players.
Gauff had a disastrous day against Elina Svitolina, winning only three games. Jovic understandably lost to top seed Aryna Sabalenka, while Anisimova lost to Pegula in a tight two-set battle.
On the men’s side, Ben Shelton and Learner Tien were the Americans’ prospects, with the former reaching his third quarterfinal in Melbourne and the latter in his first. While Tien gave a good account of himself in a four-set battle against Alexander Zverev, Shelton could not make a breakthrough against Jannik Sinner, losing his ninth consecutive match against the Italian, going down in straight sets.
All five American players who lost in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earned A$750,000, which amounts to $527,463.
Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz, and Tommy Paul Were Out In The Fourth Round
Two of America’s biggest prospects at the 2026 Australian Open were Madison Keys, who had won the title 12 months ago. However, her form looked patchy coming into Melbourne, and her title defense ended in the fourth round, when she lost to Pegula in straight sets.
On the men’s side, there were two major exits in the fourth round for the American men, as the ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz lost to Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, and the 19th-seeded Tommy Paul went down to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets as well.
While Fritz was not at his physical best, Paul could not break through the Spaniard’s explosive game and could not hold onto leads, despite breaking Alcaraz early in the first set.
The trio of Keys, Fritz, and Paul took home $ 480,000 for their respective fourth-round runs, which amounted to $337,576.
Frances Tiafoe and Hailey Baptiste Had Decent Third Round Runs At The 2026 Australian Open
Frances Tiafoe was one of the most notable American players to exit in the third round at the 2026 Australian Open, losing to Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
However, one name that caught everyone’s attention in Melbourne was Eliot Spizzirri, who beat Jannik Sinner in a set and ran him close in the third round as the Italian struggled with the heat, but eventually recovered to lose in four sets. Another young American prospect, Ethan Quinn, also reached the third round, losing to Jakub Menšík.
On the women’s side, Hailey Baptiste and Peyton Stearns were the two American players to exit in Melbourne. While Baptiste lost in a three-set battle against Gauff, Stearns lost to Anisimova in a straight set.
The players who made third-round exits earned A$327,750, which is equal to $230,501.
Reilly Opelka and McCartney Kessler Were Among Some Of The Second-Round Exits
Among the American players, the most notable second-round exit for the men was Reilly Opelka’s. The big-serving player could not make a deep run, losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
On the women’s side of the draw, some of the notable American exits in the second round included McCartney, Kessler, and Ashlyn Krueger. Both of them fell to their American compatriots, Pegula and Madison Keys, respectively.
The ones who bowed out of the second round collected a cheque for A$225,000, which amounts to $158,238.
Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens Bowed Out Of the First Round
Venus Williams received a wildcard for the Australian Open this year, and the draw had a tantalising second-round matchup with Gauff awaiting. However, the American legend let go of a 4-0 lead in the third set, losing to Olga Danilović in the very first round.
Another Major champion, Sloane Stephens, had advanced through qualifying but lost in the first round of the main draw to Karolína Plíšková. Taylor Townsend was also in action as a lucky loser, but lost to Baptiste.
Brandon Nakashima, Sebastina Korda, Jenson Brooksby, and Alex Michelsen are some of the high-profile American names who went out in the first round of the draw.
Nakashima, the 27th seed, lost to Botic Van De Zandschulp, while Brooksby went down to tenth-seeded Alexander Bublik in straight sets. Korda and Michelsen lost after grueling five-set matches against Michael Zheng and Karen Khachanov, respectively.
A first-round exit still meant players earned a sizeable A$150,000, which equals $105,492.
