JANNIK SINNER is ready to defend his Australian Open in Melbourne.
The Italian looks to become just the second man to win the first major of the year three times in a row after Novak Djokovic.
On the women’s side, Madison Keys is the reigning champion after a stunning run to glory 12 months ago.
Though world No1 and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka is the favourite.
Australian Open 2026 key dates
The first Grand Slam of the year begins on Sunday, January 18.
Matches each day start on the outside courts at 00:00 UK time and 00:30 on the Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena until the latter stages of the competition.
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The first women’s semi-final begins at 8:30am GMT, with the men’s semi-finals the day later at 3:30am and 8:30am respectively.
Both finals are also pencilled in to start at 8:30am on Saturday, January 1 for the women’s and Sunday, February 1 for the men’s.
- Sunday, January 18 to Monday, January 26: Rounds one to four
- Tuesday, January 27 to Wednesday, January 28: Quarter-finals
- Thursday, January 29: Women’s singles semi-finals
- Friday, January 30: Men’s singles semi-finals
- Saturday, January 31: Women’s singles final
- Sunday, February 1: Men’s singles final
How to watch the Australian Open 2026, which TV channel and is there a live stream?
- Fans in the UK can watch all the action on TNT Sports.
- Streams across every court will be available on Discovery+.
What is the Australian Open 2026 prize money?
- Winner: £2.059m
- Runner-up: £1.07m
- Semi-final: £620,000
- Quarter-final: £372,000
- Fourth round: £238,000
- Third round: £162,000
- Second round: £112,000
- First round: £74,000
In total, including payments to those who lost in qualifying, a whopping £55m will be handed out to players.
The overall purse is up 16 per cent and the champion’s cheque has increased 19 per cent on last year.
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