Match time
Australian Open 2026 will take place from January 18 to February 1. Singles matches will start at 11:00 am (local time) on January 18, across the courts.
In addition to going to the stadium to watch live, fans can enjoy the matches on television. In the US, ESPN and Tennis Channel have the copyright to this tournament. The tournament is also broadcast to nearly 200 other countries and territories around the world, through copyright holders.
The reigning champion
Madison Keys of the US and Jannik Sinner of Italy won the 2025 singles championship. Keys defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win his first Grand Slam title in his career. Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to successfully defend his title at Melbourne Park.
Top seed
Sabalenka will be the No. 1 seed in the women's singles and Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 1 seed in the men's singles. Currently, both are ranked No. 1 in the world, and the seed order of the tournament is usually based on the WTA and ATP rankings.
More detailed information about the first Grand Slam of the year
The Australian Open 2026 is held outdoors on hard courts in Melbourne Park, located along the Yarra River near the city center of Melbourne. In addition, the tournament is also held at some roofed courts such as Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.
Women's players compete in a three-set winning format, with a tie-break when the score is 6-6 in the third set. Men's players compete in a five-set winning format, with a tie-break when the score is 6-6 in the fifth set. Like at the US Open and French Open, the tournament also has evening sessions. The tournament is held annually around the last two weeks of January, coinciding with the summer vacation of students in Australia.
New points in 2026
The Australian Open 2026 will have an "opening week", in which the Melbourne Park area will be open to the public right from the qualifying round, and live music will be performed every night at the Grand Slam Oval.
Fans can watch open training sessions at Rod Laver Arena to witness some big names of the tennis world preparing for the first major tournament of the year.
The organizers also expanded the "1 Point Slam" tournament in the opening week, where 22 professional players and 10 amateur players have the opportunity to compete to win a total prize of 1 million Australian dollars.
Bonuses for 2026
The total prize money of the Australian Open tournament increased by 16% compared to last year, reaching a record level of 111.5 million Australian dollars (75 million USD). This figure is higher than the 96.5 million Australian dollars in 2025. Women's and men's singles champions will receive 4.15 million Australian dollars (2.8 million USD), an increase of 19% compared to last year.
