Australian Open 2026 results: Britain’s Alfie Hewitt and Andy Lapthorne lose

Alfie Hewett was beaten in his defense of the Australian Open men’s wheelchair singles title by Spain’s Martin de la Puente in the semi-finals.

The top seed and 10-time Grand Slam singles champion lost 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old Hewitt, who tied with Gordon Reid in the men’s doubles, lost in a tiebreak to Japan’s Tokio Oda and Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez.

The British pair are aiming for a seventh successive title in Melbourne.

Third seed De La Puente will face second seed and 2024 champion Oda in the final for his first Australian Open title.

In the four-doubles match, British player Andy Lapthorn also failed to defend his title. He lost to top seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink in the final 6-3 6-1 with his Australian partner Heath Davidson.

Second seed Lapthorne, who is seeking a third consecutive men’s doubles title in Melbourne and is ninth overall, partnered with Sam Schroeder to beat Sassen/Wink in straight sets in last year’s final.

The 35-year-old is a 16-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a two-time singles champion.