ChatGPT predicted Australian Open 2026 winners, here's why it's so wrong

ChatGPT is an advanced AI that can generate text, codes, images and more. It has been on everyone’s lips with the future of AI taking people’s jobs or even taking over the world looking more likely.

But I don’t think it is smart enough to replace us yet, after a wrong but admittedly not awful Australian Open 2026 prediction.

The tournament main draw starts this Sunday, January 18, in Melbourne, with Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys the defending champions. ChatGPT however, thinks neither player will successfully defend. 

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Australian Open 2026 men’s singles prediction

I asked ChatGPT to act as a supercomputer to analyse all the data, form and history to call the winners of the men's draw for this year's Australian Open.

This is what is threw up:

• Winner :Carlos Alcaraz
• Runner-up:Jannik Sinner
• Beaten semi-finalists: Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev
• Beaten quarter-finalists: Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur

Who will win the Australian Open 2026?

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ChatGPT claims that Alcaraz will win because he is ‘one of the best hard-court players’ but this puts him beating the best hard-court player in recent years, in Jannik Sinner.

The Italian has won the last two Australian Open titles and I do not think the streak will end this year. He has proven to be the better player on faster surfaces like grass, beating Alcaraz in four-sets in the 2025 Wimbledon final and looked comfortable.

Although hard-court is not as fast as grass it is still much faster than clay, where Alcaraz did get the better of Jannik. But even in this case he was lucky to win, after the Italian squandered three-championship-points.

Alcaraz may have shaken Sinner’s confidence on hard after a four-set win of his own in the US Open final but Sinner has since responded with a straight sets victory against the Spaniard for the ATP World Tour Finals title.

Sinner's win percentage last season on hard-court was 95%, which is significantly more than Alcaraz's 88.75%. Former player Patrick Mouratoglou, described the Italian as: ''Novak 2.0'', a player who dominates the hard-courts." 

I agree with ChatGPT that these two will be the two finalists, equalling Nadal and record of four consecutive Grand Slam finals against each other.

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Alcaraz will want to go further in the tournament than he has done before, only ever reaching the quarter-finals and I think the adjustments he has made to his serve ahead of this season means he can do.

The World Number 1 has emulated Djokovic’s serve technique, which can only help him on the surface Novak dominated for so long, especially in Australia, with the most wins ever at 10.

Still, I do think Carlos Alcaraz will not be able to beat Jannik Sinner, who’s experience at the tournament and superior hard-court game will make the World Number 2 the more likely champion.

I will give Skynet some credit because the other names are likely to finish where they predicted. Djokovic's continuous high placements is not a surprise.

Daniil Medvedev, who has struggled for consistency is the last few years, has started this season off with a bang, winning in Brisbane, for his 22 career-title and will be a much needed confidence boost heading into the tournament. 

Australian Open 2026 Women's singles prediction

Now let's look at ChatGPT's calls for the women's singles

• Winner: Aryna Sabalenka
• Runner-up: Iga Swiatek
• Beaten semi-finalists: Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina
• Beaten quarter-finalists: Mirra Andereeva, Amanda Anisimova

(Getty Images)

I have a lot less issue with this prediction with Sabalenka being the clear favourite. The World Number 1 was runner-up last year, losing to the unlikely winner Madison Keys, but I do not think anyone will be able to stop her this time around. 

The Belarusian has picked up a title already this season, winning the Brisbane International and will likely add her third Australian Open soon. 

Iga Swiatek has often struggled at the Australian Open, with an unexpected third-round loss in 2024 but last year she was only a point away from her first final there.

Her hard-court success, with a US Open win and turning around her Wimbledon woes last season in a final where she won 6-0, 6-0, the Polish player could turn around her Australian Open struggles too.

I think everyone will want to see the American, Amanda Anisimova, go further in the tournament after two Grand Slam final defeats last year. The player cemented herself as a fan favourite after a shock win against Sabalenka at Wimbledon but unfortunately fell short in the final and was at the receiving end of the 6-0, 6-0 demoralising defeat. 

This prediction was good by ChatGPT and I do not think any of the competitors will get the better of Sabalenka but it did miss out some strong contenders.

Belinda Bencic, who has started this season strongly, winning MVP in the United Cup, despite losing to Poland. 

The Swiss player managed to defeat two Top 10 players, including Iga Swiatek, and legend Stan Wawrinka, said: ''We are just living in Belinda's World,'' when talking about her impressive 9-1 record at the competition. 

We will have to wait untill Feburary 1 to find out the winners of the Australian Open and I think ChatGPT was half right, predicting Aryna Sabalenka's win but they should not have counted out Jannik Sinner, who I think will take the men's side.