Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are the overwhelming favorites to win the Australian Open, the first major tournament in men’s and women’s tennis in 2026, which begins a robust schedule. Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner (-120 on FanDuel Sportsbook) will be aiming for his third straight title in Melbourne after defeating Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in the last two Australian Open men’s finals.
Sabalenka had won consecutive Grand Slams at the Australian Open, but American Madison Keys defeated her in three sets in last year’s final. The number one women’s world ranking is the favorite to win (+210) ahead of Iga Swiatek (+440), Elena Rybakina (+750) and Coco Gauff (+850). Sabalenka is aiming for her fifth career major after winning the US Open and finishing runner-up at last year’s Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz, whose best result in Australia is a quarter-final appearance, will need to give his all to have a chance of facing Sinner in another major final. Alcaraz has won seven of the last eight meetings between the Giants.Including three major finals, culminating in a spectacular performance at the 2025 US Open.
Where to watch the Australian Open men’s and women’s singles
- date: The qualifying round will be held until January 17th. Main draw matches begin on January 18th
- position: Melbourne Park Sports and Entertainment District — Melbourne, Australia
- tv set: ESPN, ESPN2 | stream: Fubo (free trial)
Note: Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of US Eastern Time, so many games will be broadcast live at midnight. If individual match brackets for the main draw are announced, please keep that in mind when planning your viewing schedule.
Can the American men break their winning streak?
Andy Roddick is the most recent American to win the men’s slam title at the 2003 US Open. Since then, tennis has been dominated by three of the greatest players of all time, including Novak Djokovic, who will play at the Australian Open with the rise of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton have been the most consistent pair of the world’s top 10 players over the past two years, improving on their big serves and accuracy on grand slams. Fritz’s best major finish was last year’s Wimbledon semifinals, while Shelton reached the semifinals in Melbourne.
Arina Sabalenka appears with sharp focus
Sabalenka won another title this month at the Brisbane International and issued a warning to Australian Open main draw participants. She’s going to bleed. Sabalenka hasn’t dropped a set in Grand Slam warm-ups and leads a competitive field. Since winning their first major title at the 2023 Australian Open, Sabalenka and Polish standout Iga Swiatek have combined to win eight of the past 12 Grand Slams on the women’s side. “I will do my best to go as far as possible,” Sabalenka said.
Novak Djokovic heads for 25th major
Djokovic, ranked fourth in the men’s world rankings, withdrew from the Australian Open conditioning tournament but has not played in an official match since defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the Greek Championship final in November. After this victory, Djokovic announced that he would withdraw from the ATP Finals due to a shoulder injury and would instead shift his focus to his first Grand Slam in 2026.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, last winning the tournament in 2023. He already leads the Tour with 24 career wins and was on the verge of winning that elusive 25th major last year, but fell short in the semifinals of all four tournaments. The 38-year-old Djokovic hinted at retirement last year after losing to Jannik Sinner at the French Open, and his words after losing at the US Open in September echoed those comments.
It’s clear he wants to win one more Grand Slam before he can potentially hang up his sneakers for the last time as a professional athlete and one of the greatest players of all time.
“Yes, it will be very difficult in the future to overcome the hurdles of Sinner and Alcaraz in the final five of Grand Slams.” Djokovic said in September:. “I think we have a better chance in a best-of-three, but winning in five is tough. I’m not giving up on the Grand Slam in that respect, but having said that, I’m going to keep fighting and get to the final and fight for at least one more trophy. But as you know, it’s going to be a very difficult task.”
Coco Gauff aims for third major of her career
After her fourth straight victory over Swiatek at the United Cup in Sydney, Gauff became the only player to defeat the former world number one in straight sets four times in a row. The up-and-coming American superstar has never won the Australian Open, but he is confident heading into his first major tournament of the year.
After defeating Swiatek, the 21-year-old Gauff, ranked No. 4 in the world, reposted a photo on Instagram of her two-handed backhand smash that bounced off the edge of the net. He was one of the impressive winners in this match.
“Definitely (definitely) my favorite shot. It’s my version of a slam dunk (lol). Not quite as climatic, but I still think it’s cool (lol),” Gauff wrote.
Gauff won last year’s French Open and Wimbledon in 2023. Her best performance under the belt was in 2024, when she lost to Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
