2026 AUSTRALIA OPEN:SCHEDULE, WHERE TO WATCH AND PRIZE MONEY

3 weeks ago

0 5 minutes read

The time that all tennis fans have been eagerly waiting for is almost here. 2026 Australian Open kicks off on Sunday, January 18, the most crucial part of the tournament timetable can be analysed to confirm that no matches can be missed and you need to be absolutely sure about when the top contenders are in the mix for the title.

Special interest in Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys. Expected to be one of the best moments of the game, the 2026 Australian Open is all about excitement and it’s bound to be a whole other thing. It is going to be a passion-pumping event, as some world class people on the World Tour join you this great time to take care of what can’t be touched again.

Qualifying for the Australian is from Monday 12 to Thursday 15 January.

The main draw will get underway on Sunday 18 January until Sunday 1 February.

The wheelchair tournaments will start from Sunday 25 January to Saturday 31 January.

Full schedule of the 2026 Australian Open

Sunday, January 18: First round starting at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena

Monday, January 19: First round starting at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena.

Tuesday, January 20: First round starting at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Wednesday, January 21: Second round at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Thursday, January 22: Second round Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Friday, January 23: Third round at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Saturday, January 24: Third round starting at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Sunday, January 25: Round of 16 at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Monday, January 26: Round of at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Tuesday, January 27: Quarterfinals at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Wednesday, January 28: Quarterfinals at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena from 09:00.

Thursday, January 29: Women’s singles semifinals

Friday, January 30: Men’s singles semifinals

Saturday, January 31: Women’s singles final

Sunday, February 1: Men’s singles final

Where To Watch The 2026 Australia Open

Tennis fans in North America get to watch each match on ESPN networks and platforms from all 15 courts and see live matches live out of Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.

With Melbourne being 16 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST), each day is scheduled for high-profile matches, playing during primetime in EST, while local night sessions start at 3 a.m. EST.

ESPN will provide more than 260 hours of live coverage. The all-day broadcast will begin on Saturday, January 17, with first-round play starting at 7 p.m. live on the ESPN App and airing on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. Match coverage will run continuously throughout the early rounds, starting from primetime all the way to 7 a.m. nightly encore coverage on ESPN2.

Major events -The Mixed Doubles Championship, played on Thursday, January 29 at 8 p.m., Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championships, played on Friday, January 30 at 8 p.m., The Legend’s Championship, played at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, and the Juniors Singles Championship, played at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 31, will be available through The ESPN App.

Coverage of the tournament will finish with both the Women’s and Men’s Championships on January 31 and February 1, respectively, starting from 3:30 a.m. on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. This year, we began airing two half-hour pre-shows before each singles championship game on ESPN starting at 3 a.m.Sat., Jan. 17

10 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Sun., Jan. 18

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

7 a.m. – 10 a.m. ESPN2 (Encore)

7 p.m. – 3a.m., ESPN2

Mon., Jan. 19

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

11:15 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Tue., Jan. 20

3 a.m. – 7 a.m. , ESPN2

9 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Wed., Jan. 21

3 a.m. – 7 a.m. , ESPN2

9 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Thu., Jan. 22

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

9 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Fri., Jan. 23

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

9 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Sat., Jan. 24

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

8 p.m. – 3 a.m., ESPN2

Sun., Jan. 25

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN2

4 p.m. – 5 p.m. , ABC

8 p.m. – 3 a.m. , ESPN2

Mon., Jan. 26

Quarterfinals

3 a.m. – 7 a.m. , ESPN2

7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. , ESPN

9 p.m. – 1 a.m. , ESPN2

Tue., Jan. 27

Quarterfinals

3 a.m. – 7 a.m., ESPN

7:30 p.m. – 1 a.m, ESPN

9 p.m. – 1 a.m., ESPN2

Wed., Jan. 28

Quarterfinals

3 a.m. – 7 a.m. , ESPN

11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., ESPN2

Thu., Jan. 29

Women’s Semifinals

3:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m., ESPN

3 p.m. – 6 p.m. , ESPN2 (Encore)

Mixed Doubles Championship

8 p.m. – 10 p.m. ESPN+

Men’s Semifinals #1

10:30 p.m. – 1 a.m., ESPN

Fri., Jan. 30

Men’s Semifinals #2

3:30 a.m. – 6 a.m., ESPN

2 p.m. – 5 p.m., ESPN2 (Encore)

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Championship

8 p.m. – 2 a.m., ESPN+

Sat., Jan. 31

Women’s Championship Pre-Show

3 – 3:30 a.m., ESPN

Women’s Championship

3:30 a.m. – 5:30 a.m. , ESPN

Women’s Championship – Encore Presentation

9 a.m. Noon, ESPN2

Juniors Singles Championship

8 p.m. – 12 a.m. , ESPN+

Sun., Feb. 1

Men’s Championship Pre-Show

3:30 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. , ESPN

Men’s Championship

3:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. , ESPN

Men’s Championship – Encore Presentation

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. , ESPN2 (Encore)

9:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m., ESPN2 (Encore)

UK coverage of the Australian Open 2026 will be broadcast live online exclusively on discovery+ and Eurosport.

What is the prize money at the Australian Open 2026?

This year there is a record AUD $111.5m prize pool across all the events at the Australian Open. Check out the full breakdown:

Singles

Winner	$4,150,000
Runner-up	$2,150,000
Semi-final	$1,250,000
Quarter-final	$750,000
Fourth round	$480,000
Third round	$327,750
Second round	$225,000
First round	$150,000