News Beat
Australian Open order of play and schedule for 2026 tournament
Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka headline the opening day of action at the Australian Open on Sunday as Venus Williams returns to the tournament at the age of 45 in a bid to make history in Melbourne.
Alcaraz will be bidding to win his first Australian Open title, as he attempts to become the youngest man of all time to complete the career grand slam. The Spaniard takes on home hope Adam Walton in his first-round match on Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka is aiming to reclaim her Australian Open crown after defeat to Madison Keys in last year’s final. The World No 1, who has reached three finals in a row in Melbourne, opens against the No 188 Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open main draw after accepting a wildcard. The seven-time grand slam singles champion takes on Olga Danilovic in her first match at the tournament in five years.
Elsewhere, Emma Raducanu, who is on a collision course with Sabalenka, plays Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, after qualifier Arthur Fery knocked out the Italian 20th seed Flavio Cobolli on his Australian Open debut.
Australian Open order of play
Day One – Sunday 18 January
(all times UK – GMT)
Rod Laver Arena
00:30
- Jasmine Paolini (7), Italy, def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus, 6-1, 6-2.
- Alexander Zverev (3), Germany, def. Gabriel Diallo, Canada, 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
08:00
Margaret Court Arena
00:30
- Maria Sakkari, Greece, def. Leolia Jeanjean, France, 6-4, 6-2.
- Francisco Cerundolo (18), Argentina, def. Zhang Zhizhen, China, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3.
08:00
- [10] Alexander Bublik (KAZ) vs. Jenson Brooksby (USA)
- Mananchaya Sawangkaew (THA) vs. [28] Emma Raducanu (GBR)
John Cain Arena
00:00
- Arthur Fery, Britain, def. Flavio Cobolli (20), Italy, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-1.
Not Before 02:30
2. [12] Elina Svitolina (UKR) vs. Cristina Bucsa (ESP)
Not Before 06:00
3. [29] Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs. Jason Kubler (AUS) 4. Olga Danilovic (SRB) vs. Venus Williams (USA)
KIA Arena
00:00
- Talia Gibson, Australia, def. Anna Blinkova, Russia, 6-1, 6-3.
- Corentin Moutet (32), France, def. Tristan Schoolkate, Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
Not Before 02:30
3. Michael Zheng (USA) vs. Sebastian Korda (USA) 4. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Zhuoxuan Bai (CHN)
1573 Arena
00:00
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Argentina, def. Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
- [11] Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Zeynep Sonmez (TUR)
- Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) vs. [26] Cameron Norrie (GBR)
ANZ Arena
11:00 AM
- Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Romania, def. Dayana Yastremska (26), Ukraine, 6-4, 7-5.
- Elsa Jacquemot, France, def. Marta Kostyuk (20), Ukraine, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).
- Camilo Ugo Carabelli (ARG) vs. Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
- Suzan Lamens (NED) vs. Anastasia Potapova (AUT)
Court 6
00:00
- Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, def. Beatriz Haddad Maia, Brazil, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
- Emilio Nava (USA) vs. Kyrian Jacquet (FRA)
- Yannick Hanfmann (GER) vs. Zachary Svajda (USA)
Court 7
03:00
- Francisco Cerundolo (18), Argentina, def. Zhang Zhizhen, China, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3.
- Polina Kudermetova (UZB) vs. Guiomar Maristany Zuleta de Reales (ESP)
Court 8
0200
- Hailey Baptiste, United States, def. Taylor Townsend, United States, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
- Liam Draxl (CAN) vs. Damir Džumhur (BIH)
Court 13
0300
- Hailey Baptiste (USA) vs. [32] Marketa Vondroušová (CZE)
- Arthur Cazaux (FRA) vs. Jaime Faria (POR)
Australian Open tournament schedule
Sunday 18 January
- 16 x men’s singles and 16 x women’s singles | first round
Monday 19 January
- 28 x men’s singles and 28 x women’s singles | first round
Tuesday 20 January
- 20 x men’s singles and 20 x women’s singles | first round
- 8 x men’s doubles and 8 x women’s doubles| first round
Wednesday 21 January
- 16 x men’s singles and 16 x women’s singles | second round
- 12 x men’s doubles and12 x women’s doubles| first round
Thursday 22 January
- 16 x men’s singles and 16 x women’s singles | second round
- 12 x men’s doubles and12 x women’s doubles| first round
Friday 23 January
- 8 x men’s singles and 8 x women’s singles | third round
- 8 x men’s doubles and 8 x women’s doubles | second round
- 6 x mixed doubles | first round
Saturday 24 January
- 8 x men’s singles and 8 x women’s singles | third round
- 8 x men’s doubles and 8 x women’s doubles | second round
- 6 x mixed doubles | first round
- 16 x boys’ singles and 16 x girls’ singles | first round
Sunday 25 January
- 4 x men’s singles and 4 x women’s singles | fourth round
- 4 x men’s doubles and 4 x women’s doubles | third round
- 4 x mixed doubles | second round
- 16 x boys’ singles and 16 x girls’ singles | first round
Monday 26 January
- 4 x men’s singles and 4 x women’s singles | fourth round
- 4 x men’s doubles and 4 x women’s doubles | third round
- 4 x mixed doubles | second round
- 8 x boys’ singles and 8 x girls’ singles | second round
Tuesday 27 January
- 2 x men’s singles and 2 x women’s singles | Quarter-finals
- 2 x men’s doubles and 2 x women’s doubles | Quarter-finals
- 4 x mixed doubles | Quarter-finals
- 8 x men’s and 8 x women’s wheelchair singles | first round
- 8 x boys’ singles and 2 x girls’ singles | second round
Wednesday 28 January
- 2 x men’s singles and 2 x women’s singles | Quarter-finals
- 2 x men’s doubles and 2 x women’s doubles | Quarter-finals
- 2 x mixed doubles | Semi-finals
- 4 x men’s and 4 x women’s wheelchair singles | Quarter-finals
- 4 x boys’ singles and 2 x girls’ singles | third round
Thursday 29 January
- 2 x women’s singles | Semi-finals
- 2 x men’s doubles and 2 x women’s doubles | Semi-finals
- 2 x men’s and 2 x women’s wheelchair singles | Semi-finals
- 4 x boys’ singles and 2 x girls’ singles | third round
Friday 30 January
- 2 x men’s singles | Semi-finals
- Mixed doubles final 🏆
- Men’s wheelchair doubles final 🏆
- Women’s wheelchair doubles final 🏆
- 4 x boys’ singles and 2 x girls’ singles | quarter-finals
Saturday 31 January
- Women’s singles final 🏆
- Men’s doubles final 🏆
- Women’s doubles final 🏆
- Men’s wheelchair singles final 🏆
- Women’s wheelchair singles final 🏆
- 2 x boys’ singles and 2 x girls’ singles | semi-finals
Sunday 1 February
- Men’s singles final 🏆
- Boys’ singles final 🏆
- Girls’ singles final 🏆
