The first tennis major of the calendar year is upon us.
The 2026 Australian Open gets underway this weekend and the biggest tennis stars in the game, including American Coco Gauff, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, are set to serve up intense competition after the draw was held. The tournament runs from Jan. 18 through Feb. 1.
Italian Jannik Sinner is the two-time reigning champion on the men’s side of the draw after defeating German Alexander Zverev in straight sets, while American Madison Keys looks to defend her title on the women’s side after denying Sabalenka’s quest for an Australian Open three-peat.
A record $74.9 million in prize money is up for grabs, including $2.79 million for both the men’s and women’s singles champions. Who has the easiest path to the title? Let’s break down the draw:
Coco Gauff could face Venus Williams in second round
Gauff won the second major of her career at the 2025 French Open, but her serving and forehand woes snuck up on her toward the back half of the season. Gauff finished the 2025 season with a total of 431 double faults, the most among WTA Tour players. Gauff started working with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, who helped correct world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s serve, and Gauff’s progress was on display in Team USA’s quarterfinal run in the United Cup, where she breezed past Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek to open 2026.
Gauff is looking to keep up that momentum as the No. 3 seed at the Australian Open. She could face Venus Williams in the second round, with a potential third-round matchup against 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušova. In the fourth round, Gauff will likely meet fellow American Emma Navarro, who has defeated Gauff in their past two matches, including a win at the 2024 US Open. Gauff would have to get past No. 8 Mirra Andreeva or No. 12 Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals to get out of her quarter of the bracket. Gauff is on Sabalenka’s side of the draw, setting up a potential 2025 French Open final rematch in the semifinals.
Madison Keys’ title defense starts with tough draw
Eight years after making her first Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open, Keys finally broke through and won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. Keys defeated five seeded opponents in her title run and will need to muster up a similar performance to successfully defend her title after a challenging draw.
Keys will face Oleksandra Oliynykova in the first round and will likely meet No. 22 Leylah Fernandez in the third round, before things get a little more difficult. Keys drew a potential fourth-round matchup against No. 6 Jessica Pegula or No. 25 Paula Badosa. Keys leads the head-to-head against both players. If she advances to the quarterfinals, Keys could potentially run into No. 4 Amanda Anisimova or No. 27 Sofia Kenin. No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 10 Belinda Bencic are on Keys’ side of the draw and could present a challenging semifinal matchup.
Carlos Alcaraz goes for the career Slam
The Australian Open is the lone title the six-time major champion hasn’t won. Alcaraz is one Australian Open victory away from becoming the ninth man to complete the career Grand Slam and the first since Novak Djokovic in 2016, but Alcaraz hasn’t found success on the Australian Open’s fast hard court. He’s failed to advance to the semifinals in Melbourne, with his best finish coming in the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025.
Alcaraz’s first Australian Open semifinal appearance may be near after a favorable draw. He begins the tournament against Australian Adam Walton and will likely meet No. 19 Tommy Paul in the fourth round, who he’s defeated four matches in a row. Alcaraz could potentially face No. 6 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals and, should he advance to the semifinals, Alcaraz could meet a familiar foe in No. 3 Alexander Zverev. The head-to-head between Alcaraz and Zverev is tied 6-6, with Alcaraz taking their last meeting at the 2025 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati semifinal.
Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic in same half of draw
Sinner and Djokovic could potentially meet in the semifinals. Sinner leads the head-to-head with Djokovic 6-4 and has won the last five matchups against the 24-time major winner, including a semifinal win at the 2024 Australian Open. Djokovic would have to get past a potential quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 9 Taylor Fritz or No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas, which should be doable considering Djokovic has a combined 32-3 record against the three players. Sinner’s biggest challenge in the draw should come from No. 8 Ben Shelton, who he’ll meet in the quarterfinals if the seeds hold.
Best first-round matchups
The first round of the Australian Open features some compelling matchups. Australian Alex de Minaur will face Australian Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in the first round. Berrettini leads the head-to-head, 3-2. On the women’s side, No. 32 seed Marketa Vondrousova will face off against Hailey Baptiste in the first round. The two have never played each other, but Baptiste had a great year after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at the 2025 French Open. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, made her way through qualifying and will also present a first-round challenge.
How to watch the Australian Open
The Australian Open will be broadcast across ESPN and ESPN 2. You can also stream on Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users.
When is the Australian Open? Dates and schedule
- Round 1: Jan. 18-20
- Round 2: Jan. 21-22
- Round 3: Jan. 23-24
- Round of 16: Jan. 25-26
- Quarterfinals: Jan. 27-28
- Women’s semifinals: Jan. 29
- Men’s semifinals: Jan. 30
- Women’s final: Jan. 31
- Men’s final: Feb. 1
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