Grab those tennis rackets, because the Australian Open 2026 is kicking off with some of the best players from around the globe coming to Melbourne.
Whether you’re a tennis player yourself or a viewer only, absolutely everyone gets on the edge of their seats, waiting to discover who will earn that winning score.
With the three-week competition beginning soon, below is everything you need to know about the 2026 Australian Open.
When is the Australian Open?
The 2026 AO main event will commence on Sunday, January 18, 2026 and will continue until Sunday, February 1, 2026.
However, qualifying rounds take place from Monday, January 12, to Thursday, January 15. Players must win three matches to secure their spot in the men’s or women’s singles main draws.
A more detailed calendar is listed below.
Where to watch the Australian Open?
Tennis lovers at home have a couple of options for tuning in. Channel 9 (Nine Network) will broadcast live Australian Open coverage, including many matches during the tournament, on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD, and its on-demand service, 9Now.
Stan Sport, Stan’s sport add‑on, will also stream every match live and on demand, often in high definition or 4K for subscribers, including full coverage across all courts.
If you are actually planning to attend a match, Melbourne Park has been home to the Australian Open since 198. There are three show courts; the Rod Laver Arena (15,000 capacity), John Cain Arena (10,500 capacity) and Margaret Court Arena (7,500 capacity).
How much are tickets for the Australian Open?
If you want to head to Melbourne and watch this year’s Australian Open live in the arena, tickets start at $20, but prices all depend on where you want to sit and what matches you’d like to attend. For more information, head to Ticketmaster Australia.
Who is competing in the Australian Open?
The men’s and women’s main‑draw entry lists were released by Tennis Australia and ausopen.com, showing key players entered for the 2026 event (including Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and others).
Australian singles players in the 2026 Australian Open main draws include:
Women:
- Maya Joint
- Ajla Tomljanovic
- Kimberly Birrell
- Priscilla Hon
- Emerson Jones
- Talia Gibson
- Taylah Preston
Men:
- Alex de Minaur
- Alexei Popyrin
- Aleksandar Vukic
- Adam Walton
- Tristan Schoolkate
- James Duckworth
- Rinky Hijikata
- Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Jordan Thompson
- Chris O’Connell
What is the Australian Open match schedule?
Day sessions generally begin at 11.00 am AEDT every day and night sessions at 7.oo pm. Exact match times and court allocations are released daily in the official order of play, usually the evening before.
The Qualifying Rounds take place from 12–17 January 2026 and the main draw from Sunday 18 January – Sunday 1 February 2026.
Men’s and women’s doubles run throughout the tournament, broadly from 20–31 January. Mixed doubles are typically scheduled during the middle to later stages of the fortnight. Finally, the junior and wheelchair events mostly take place during the second week.
The big dates are 31 January for the women’s finals and 1 February for the men’s finals.
See the calendar below.
Week One – Early rounds
- Sunday 18 – Tuesday 20 January: First round
- Wednesday 21 – Thursday 22 January: Second round
- Friday 23 – Saturday 24 January: Third round
- Sunday 25 – Monday 26 January: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Week 2 – Finals week
- Tuesday 27 – Wednesday 28 January: Quarter-finals
- Thursday 29 January: Women’s singles semi-finals
- Friday 30 January: Men’s singles semi-finals
- Saturday 31 January: Women’s singles final and men’s doubles final
- Sunday 1 February: Men’s singles final and women’s doubles final
What’s the prize money for the Australian Open?
The total prize pool for the 2026 Australian Open is a staggering AU$111.5 million. It’s a record high, up about 16 per cent from 2025.
The winners of the men’s and women’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open will walk away with $4.15 million each, while the runners-up will win $2.15 million each.
Semi-finalists will win $1.25 million, and quarter-finalists will win $750,000.
See the figures in the table below:
| Champion | AU$4.15 million |
| Runner-up | AU$2.15 million |
| Semifinalist | AU$1.25 million |
| Quarterfinalist | AU$750,000 |
| Fourth round | AU$480,000 |
| Third round | AU$327,750 |
| Second round | AU$225,000 |
| First round | AU$150,000 |
| Third round qualifying | AU$83,500 |
| Second round qualifying | AU$57,000 |
| First round qualifying | AU$40,500 |
How are the Australian players doing at the AO 2026?
There have been several standout performances at Melbourne Park from Australian players at the AO 2026.
Alex de Minaur continues to lead the charge in the men’s singles. “Demon” has powered past several opponents — including Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round — and most recently beat 10th seed Alexander Bublik to reach the quarter-finals for the second year in a row.
He then faced World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, but all hopes of becoming the first Australian man to win the Open since 1976 were dashed. Carlos won 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time. So, Alex missed out on the semi-finals yet again. However, he’ll be taking home $750,000 in prize money for his result, not bad! He could put that towards his wedding to Katie Boulter later this year…
On the women’s side, Maddison Inglis has been one of the feel-good stories of the tournament. The qualifier fought through qualifying and the early main-draw rounds — even beating compatriot Kimberly Birrell — and benefited from a walkover when Naomi Osaka withdrew due to injury to reach the fourth round.
She is set to take on world No. 2 Iga Swiatek for a place in the quarter-finals, marking the deepest run by an Australian woman at this Open since Ash Barty’s 2022 triumph. However, Iga bested her, defeating Maddison 6-0, 6-3. But, Maddison had an incredible run at this year’s Australian Open and takes home $480,000 for her efforts! She’s also engaged to be married to a fellow tennis player, and that nest egg will be great for their future!
Other Aussie competitors have also featured across the draw. Ajla Tomljanovic advanced to the second round with a gritty comeback win, providing valuable experience and crowd support. Meanwhile, younger players and doubles specialists like Kimberly Birrell, Storm Hunter, and Priscilla Hon have been active in singles and doubles action, with mixed results throughout the fortnight.
Who won the Australian Open 2026?
World number 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Men’s Singles title. Carlos broke numerous records with his historic win. He is now the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam. He has now claimed all four majors (French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open) at 22 years and 272 days, breaking a record set in 1938 by Don Budge. Carlos’s win also denied Novak Djokovic a perfect AO final record. Prior to this match, Novak had won all ten of the previous AO finals he competed in.
Elena Rybakina defeated world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win her second Gram Slam in Women’s Singles. Her first was Wimbledon in 2022. The two had faced off in the 2023 Australian Open Final, and Sabalenka took the win then.
Christian Harrison & Neal Skupski defeated Australians Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans in the Men’s Doubles finals. The Australians were a wildcard pick and had a standout tournament.
Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai beat Anna Danilina & Aleksandra Krunić to claim the Women’s Doubles.
Olivia Gadecki and John Peers beat Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in the Mixed Doubles finals.
