AUSTRALIAN OPEN: all you need to know
The 2026 Australian Open promises a rich tapestry of drama: elite rivalries, emerging talent, homegrown contenders, and a festival of sport and music—all underpinned by historic stakes.
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DATE: 18 January – 1 February
VENUE: Melbourne Park
HOW TO WATCH
- SuperSport holds exclusive rights for sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, through 2026, via a deal renewed with Tennis Australia.
- Matches will be broadcast LIVE on SuperSport Grandstand and SuperSport Tennis channels.
- Live and on-demand coverage is accessible through DStv, and the DStv Stream.
Main Draw
Day Sessions: Starts at 2am
Night Sessions: Starts at 10am
- Quarterfinals will play over two days on the 27–28, followed by women semifinals on the 29th.
- Men’s semifinals are set for the 30th.
- Women’s final will take place in the morning of Jan 31 and the men’s will be the following day.
FAVOURITES
World number 1 Carlos Alcaraz aims for his first Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam—his only missing major title.
Two-time champion Jannik Sinner is targeting a historic three-peat, a feat last achieved by Novak Djokovic, 10 time champion who returns as the 4th seed and looks to extend his record haul with a potential 25th Grand Slam.
In the women’s draw, the top trio—Aryna Sabalenka (2 champion), Iga Świątek, and Coco Gauff—headline the draw.
Sabalenka is top seed, Świątek is chasing a career Slam, and Gauff is building on French Open success.
RESURGENT STARS
Of all the compelling storylines in a memorable 2025, one of the trends that stood out was tennis stars returning to previous heights – or flourishing as an even better version of themselves.
Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka and Swiatek may have cemented their positions as the sport’s spearheads, but the resurgence of talented tourmates means more challenges to their supremacy as a new season begins.
It also means there are more names in the conversation when it comes to who can make a mark in this year’s edition.
Amanda Anisimova - broke through to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal, at just 17 years of age, at Roland Garros in 2019 – the same year she peaked at world No 21.
Felix Auger-Aliassime - four years ago at the US Open, Auger-Aliassime hit his previous zenith. That 2021 campaign in New York saw him reach his first Slam semifinal, in between quarterfinals at 2021 Wimbledon and Australian Open 2022. Later in 2022, he hit a career-high ranking of world No 6.
Naomi Osaka – showed signs of her best tennis, too, as she hauled her ranking from as low as world No 61 in March to return to the top 15 by September.
Three 2025 milestones helped the Japanese star on her path to becoming one of women’s tennis’s biggest threats again.
Emma Raducanu - ranked outside the top 60 this time 12 months ago, Raducanu begins 2026 as the world No 29, all but guaranteeing her an AO seeding.
It marks the first time she has been seeded at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2022 US Open.
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