The US Open from Flushing Meadows may be over eight months away, but there’s plenty of top-quality tennis to keep you entertained from now until then. As is the norm, we kick things off with the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. The weather will be hot and the tennis action even hotter as the best players on the planet look to get their 2026 campaigns off to a flying start.
Twelve months ago, Jannik Sinner defended his Australian Open crown in style, beating Alexander Zverev in straight sets. He used it as a springboard for further success throughout 2025. The current world number 2 now attempts to become only the second man after Novak Djokovic to three-peat down under. Talking of three-peating, Aryna Sabalenka just missed out on that feat last year in Melbourne. The 2023 & 2024 Australian Open women’s champion was pipped to the post in a thrilling three-setter by the Illinois-born heroine, Madison Keys.
Keys secured her first Grand Slam title at the 49th time of asking and at the same time set the record for the longest gap between two major finals appearances by any woman in the Open Era. If that wasn’t enough, she also became the lowest-ranked player to win the Australian Open since another States starlet, Serena Williams, triumphed in 2007.
While ladies draped in the stars and stripes have recorded regular victories over the past couple of decades in the opening Slam of the year, you have to go right back to 2003 for the last American success in the men’s singles, which was when Andre Agassi celebrated his fourth Australian Open title win. Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton look to have the best chances of the American men heading down under this year. Shelton recorded his joint-best Grand Slam performance in Australia last January, when bowing out in the semis to Jannik Sinner.
More 2026 Australian Open News
Let GOAL give you all the information you need to know for the Australian Open 2026, including details of the tournament schedule and how you can watch or stream the daily action live.
What is the Australian Open 2026 schedule?
The general Australian Open 2026 schedule is as follows:
- Men’s & women’s singles qualifying: January 12-15
- Men’s & women’s singles: January 18 - February 1
- Men’s, women’s & mixed doubles: January 19-31
- Wheelchair events: January 25-31
- Junior events: January 24 - February 1
The detailed day-to-day Australian Open 2026 schedule is as follows:
| Date (Session) | Play starts (show courts) | Play starts (outer courts) | Featured matches (singles) | TV Channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Jan 11 (Day) | 7 pm ET | 6 pm ET | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo |
| Mon Jan 12 (Day) | 7 pm ET | 6 pm ET | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo |
| Tue Jan 13 (Day) | 7 pm ET | 6 pm ET | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo |
| Wed Jan 16 (Day) | 7 pm ET | 6 pm ET | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo |
| Sat Jan 17 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sun Jan 18 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sun Jan 18 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Mon Jan 19 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Mon Jan 19 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tue Jan 20 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | First round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tue Jan 20 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Second round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Wed Jan 21 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Second round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Wed Jan 21 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Second round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Thu Jan 22 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Second round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Thu Jan 22 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Third round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Fri Jan 23 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Third round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Fri Jan 23 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Third round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sat Jan 24 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Third round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sat Jan 24 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Fourth round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sun Jan 25 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Fourth round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Sun Jan 25 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Fourth round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Mon Jan 26 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Fourth round | ESPN | Fubo |
| Mon Jan 26 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Quarter-finals | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tue Jan 27 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Quarter-finals | ESPN | Fubo |
| Tue Jan 27 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 7 pm ET | Quarter-finals | ESPN | Fubo |
| Wed Jan 28 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Quarter-finals | ESPN | Fubo |
| Thu Jan 29 (Twilight) | 3 am ET | 7 pm ET on Wed 28 | Women's semi-finals | ESPN | Fubo |
| Thu Jan 29 (Day) | 8 pm ET | 8 pm ET | First men’s semi-final | ESPN | Fubo |
| Fri Jan 30 (Night) | 3 am ET | Continued from day session | Second men’s semi-final | ESPN | Fubo |
| Fri Jan 30 (Twilight) | 8 pm ET | Women's final | ESPN | Fubo | |
| Sun Feb 1 (Twilight) | 3 am ET | Men's final | ESPN | Fubo |
How to watch or stream the Australian Open 2026
Even if you can’t make it to Melbourne in person, you can still feel like a part of the electric atmosphere from the comfort of your own home! Tennis fans in the United States will be able to watch all the Australian Open action across ESPN’s live TV channels, with every match also streamed live on ESPN+.
Fubo is a top-quality streaming service that now has ESPN included in all its packages, so it offers access to the Australian Open tennis and a whole world of sports. Fubo offers multiple subscription plans, including the 'Fubo Sports', which costs $45.99 for the first month and then $55.99 per month for subsequent months. It's streamlined and sports-focused with over 28 channels, including ESPN Unlimited, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, NFL Network, Tennis Channel, and local networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox.
Watch the Australian Open 2026 from anywhere with a VPN
If the Australian Open isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection that lets you bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere.
We recommend ExpressVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
Where is the Australian Open tennis held?
The Australian Open takes place at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, which is one of the biggest tennis venues in the world and has been home to the opening Grand Slam event of the year since 1988. Melbourne Park has three show courts. The first feature one being the Rod Laver Arena, which is named after the Australian tennis legend and 11-times Grand Slam winner and is the second largest indoor sports venue in Australia, with a capacity of 15,000. The other show courts are the John Cain Arena (which has a capacity of 10,500) and the Margaret Court Arena (which has a capacity of 7,500).