Il 2026 Australian Open draw, scheduled from January 18th to February 1st at Melbourne Park, officially opens the Major season, with all eyes on Italian tennis players. Jannik Sinner, defending champion, and Lorenzo Mustetti were placed in the same half of the men's draw, fueling the possibility of an all-Italian semifinal. Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini She will immediately face a high-pressure match against the number 6 seed, Alex De Minaur. In the women's tournament, too, Italy's hopes are alive.: Jasmine Paolini, seeded No. 7, will make her debut against a qualifier and could face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
Australian Open 2026: Sinner aims for a hat trick: here are his potential opponents.
The champion from San Candido defends his title as the number 2 seed and faces the Frenchman in the first round Hugo gaston, world number 94, already defeated twice in previous matches. The second round could reserve him the Australian James Duckworth, followed by a third round that on paper appears more insidious with Joao Fonseca, Eliot Spizzirri or the young compatriot Luca Nardi.
The round of 16 could see Sinner face one between Karen Khachanov, Luciano Darderi, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard o Sebastian baez, while in the quarterfinals the favourites remain Ben Shelton e Casper RuudThe semi-final promises to be a spectacle, with possible clashes against Novak Djokovic, Musetti, Taylor Fritz o Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Musetti and the Italian team: derbies and big challenges
musetti, fifth in the world, makes his debut against the Belgian Raphael CollignonThe second round could reserve for him an eagerly awaited Italian derby with Lorenzo Sonego, inserted in the same branch of the board.
The Italian team is well-stocked: in addition to Sinner and Musetti, the following will be on the pitch: Flavio Cobolli, Luciano Darderi, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Arnaldi, Mattia Bellucci e Luca Nardi, ready to put on a show between the first round and tricky matches in the following rounds. In the men's doubles, Italy fields the tried and tested pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, while in the women's doubles there will be Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Women's draw: Paolini ready to challenge Sabalenka
In the feminine singular, paolini, seeded No. 7, begins the tournament against a qualifier. The road gets tougher in the third round with a possible match against American Iva Jovic, and in the round of 16 against Marta Kostyuk or Ekaterina Alexandrova. The quarterfinals could see her face the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka.
Elizabeth Cocciarettoinstead, it will debut against Julia Grabher, with a path that could cross the second in the ranking, Iga swiatek, already in the third round.
Complete 2026 Australian Open schedule
The Australian Open officially opens on January 18 and concludes on February 1:
- January 18-19: First round of men's and women's singles
- January 20-24: Second and third rounds of singles, first rounds of men's, women's, and mixed doubles
- January 25-26: fourth round of singles and third round of doubles
- January 27: Singles, doubles, and mixed doubles quarterfinals
- January 28-30: Singles and doubles semifinals
- January 31: Women's singles final, men's and women's doubles final
- February 1st: Men's singles final
Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open live
The matches will be broadcast exclusively on Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Discovery+ e HBO Max, with the possibility of following all the fields in digital live streaming. Also Dazn, Tim Vision and Prime Video Channels will offer coverage of the Slam, allowing fans not to miss any match.
Australian Open 2026: record prize money
The 2026 Australian Open confirms its status as a benchmark Slam by further increasing the jackpot: this year the total reaches AUD 111,5 million, approximately 64 million euros, with an increase of 16% compared to the previous edition.
Just participating in the tournament guarantees a prize of 150,000 Australian dollars (about 86,000 euros), while reaching the second round guarantees 225,000 dollars (about 129,000 euros). Reaching the third round is worth 327.750 dollars (about 188,000 euros), with the round of 16 earning 480,000 dollars (about 275,000 euros). The quarterfinals earn 750,000 dollars (about 430,000 euros), while the semifinals allow for 1,25 million dollars (about 717,000 euros). defeated finalist consoles himself with 2,15 million of Australian dollars (approximately 1,24 million euros), while the vincitore of the singular yes wins AUD 4,15 million (approximately €2,38 million). For comparison, despite the record prize money, the Australian Open remains the lowest-paid Major compared to other Slams: at Wimbledon 2025 the winner received approximately €3,1 million, at Roland Garros €2,55 million, while at the US Open the first-place finisher earned over €4,2 million.
