The first Grand Slam of the 2026 tennis season is in full swing at Melbourne Park, with defending champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys aiming to hold onto their crowns. The tournament promises high drama, with historic milestones on the line for the sport's biggest stars.
Historic Titles and Career Slams Up for Grabs
Jannik Sinner returns as the man to beat after securing back-to-back Australian Open titles. His victory over Alexander Zverev last year set the stage for a potential historic three-peat. Should the Italian triumph again, he would join Novak Djokovic as only the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive Australian Open singles championships.
Carlos Alcaraz arrives with his own piece of history within reach. A win in Melbourne would see the Spaniard become the youngest male player ever to complete a career Grand Slam. On the women's side, world number one Iga Swiatek also has the chance to secure the career Slam, fresh from her Wimbledon triumph last summer.
The field is packed with contenders. Aryna Sabalenka, champion in 2024 and 2025, is strongly fancied to claim a third title in four years, especially after a confident warm-up victory at the Brisbane International. Coco Gauff, the US Open and French Open champion, is another leading favourite looking to add another major to her collection.
How to Watch the Australian Open in the UK
For tennis fans in the United Kingdom, TNT Sports holds the exclusive broadcast rights for the Australian Open. Comprehensive live coverage will be available on their linear TV channels.
Viewers who prefer to stream can catch every match live online via the Discovery+ platform, which includes TNT Sports content in its premium package. This provides flexibility to watch on smartphones, tablets, or smart TVs.
Daily Schedule and Broadcast Times
TNT Sports' daily coverage from Melbourne begins at midnight UK time. Play on the premier show courts typically gets underway at 1am GMT.
For those not keen on the early hours, the evening session in Australia starts at a more viewer-friendly 8am UK time. The tournament culminates with the singles finals, which are scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30am UK time on the final weekend.
The full round-by-round schedule for the singles competition is as follows:
- Sunday, January 18 to Tuesday, January 20: Men’s and women’s singles first round
- Wednesday, January 21 & Thursday, January 22: Second round
- Friday, January 23 & Saturday, January 24: Third round
- Sunday, January 25 & Monday, January 26: Fourth round
- Tuesday, January 27 & Wednesday, January 28: Quarter-finals
- Thursday, January 29: Women’s singles semi-finals
- Friday, January 30: Men’s singles semi-finals
- Saturday, January 31: Women’s singles final & men’s doubles final
- Sunday, February 1: Men’s singles final & women’s doubles final
Expert Commentary Line-Up
Coverage will be fronted on-site in Melbourne by Olympic silver medallist Laura Robson. She will be joined by a stellar team of pundits and analysts including legends like John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, and Justine Henin. Further expertise will come from Tim Henman, Barbara Schett, Alex Corretja, Anne Keothavong, and CoCo Vandeweghe. Studio presentation from London will be led by Rachel Stringer.
With so much history at stake and a star-studded field competing, the 2026 Australian Open is set to be a thrilling fortnight of tennis, available live for UK fans throughout the night and morning on TNT Sports and Discovery+.
