2026 Australian Open: When is it, what to expect, talking points and players to watch
With the tennis season fully underway and players already competing in their respective ATP and WTA tournaments, Melbourne Park looms around the corner as the 114th edition of the Australian Open awaits.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Lorenzo Gagliotta dives into what to expect at the first Grand Slam event of the new season.
When is the Open and how will it play out?
The Australian Open, the first major of the year, will take place from 18 January to 1 February 2026.
The hard courts of Melbourne Park will host tennis fans from across the globe, with the action starting on Monday 12 January, when men’s and women’s qualifiers begin.
On Thursday 15 January, the official draw takes place, with last year’s winners, Italian Jannik Sinner and American Madison Keys, expected to be in attendance.
First round matches then begin on Sunday 18 January, with morning sessions starting at 11am local time/12am UK time and evening sessions at 7pm local time/9am UK time.
The Rod Laver Arena will host the women’s final on 31 January and the men’s final on 1 February, when we will see who takes home the $4.15million prize money and the first major trophy of the tennis season.
What are the talking points before the 2026 season?
In the past year, fans have been glued to their screens to see the evolution of a long-lasting rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner.
They shared the joys of winning Grand Slams in 2025, with two apiece, and the Italian slyly capped off an excellent year of accolades by winning the Nitto ATP Finals against his rival in Turin.
Il Volpe ended up winning his first Wimbledon tournament in 2025 alongside triumphing at the Australian Open, which he looks to defend in 2026.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, managed to secure the US Open and etch his name into the history books with a monumental, 5hr 30min win in Paris against Sinner – Alcaraz’s second Roland Garros trophy.
Should either one take this year’s Australian Open, the young pair will have won nine consecutive Slam titles, two shy of the legendary Roger Federer–Rafael Nadal duo.
Heading to Melbourne, big names on both sides of the draw will be missing in action.
Qinwen Zheng confirmed her withdrawal coming off the back of an injury-stricken year and former number two Ons Jabeur misses out due to pregnancy.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will not participate as she has dropped out of the top 100 and lost out on a wildcard to Venus Williams.
Williams heads into the tournament as the oldest player in the draw.
Defending champion Keys is doubtful but confirmed that she will participate in the Adelaide International, having struggled in her loss to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Brisbane.
For the men, Briton Jack Draper is out with injury as is Dane Holger Rune, two big names who could have shaken up the draw.
Starlet Joao Fonseca has concerns with his lower back, but he is looking to recuperate and prepare in Adelaide ahead of the Open.
You can also never say never when Novak Djokovic is around.
The star-studded Serb will make his 81st appearance in a Grand Slam, already boasting a record 10 titles at Melbourne Park.
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Who are the players to watch at the Open?
The tennis world has recently seen both the emergence and resurgence of stars looking to climb the world rankings and win big at major tournaments.
For local fans, all eyes will be on Aussie Alex de Minaur, the world number six, as he looks to improve on his quarter-final finish at last year’s Open.
In contrast to the Grand Slam domination of Sinner and Alcaraz, the women’s game is much more open, with 2025 seeing Keys win in Melbourne, Coco Gauff in Paris, Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and Sabalenka at the US Open.
American Amanda Anismova lost two of those finals, but she reignited herself as one of the world’s best tennis players and began an upward trajectory.
Despite her recent loss in Brisbane, heads shouldn’t shake for what she has to offer at the Open.
With a solid offensive game from the baseline and a hard-hitting backhand, Anisimova is looking to improve and mould herself into a strong candidate for Grand Slams in 2026.
For the men, a strong second half of the 2025 season for one particular player saw him rise up the rankings.
Canada international Felix Auger-Aliassime ended his campaign by reaching five ATP finals and winning three.
Back where he believes he belongs, the world number five is one of the most athletically gifted players on the tour and offers a huge serve and forehand.
As he heads into the new season, Auger-Aliassime will look to develop his versatility across the court and aim to lower his tension in high-pressure situations.
The ceiling is high for the Canadian and he could kick-start a successful season if all goes well at the Australian Open.
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What happened at last year’s Australian Open?
Last year, the Australian Open saw a record attendance as the stars of the show came onto the court for the 113th edition of the tournament.
History was made as youngsters Fonseca, Learner Tien and Jakub Menšík burst onto the scene in their Grand Slam debuts to cause upsets against some of the top 10.
Djokovic’s abrupt injury saw him retire in the semi-final match against Alexander Zverev, which saw the German face off with Sinner in the final.
The Italian successfully beat Zverev in straight sets to win his second Australian Open title.
In the women’s draw, German Eva Lys became the first ‘lucky loser’ to go through to the fourth round in the Open Era.
Elsewhere, Sabalenka regained her number one ranking following Keys’ upset of Swiatek in the semi-finals.
Keys, the underdog heading into that final, then managed to get the better of the two-time defending champion Sabalenka on the day to secure her first Grand Slam title in the Rod Laver Arena.
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