Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka received the top seeds in the upcoming Australian Open, the first major of 2026 in men’s and women’s tennis to kick-off a robust schedule. However, four-time grand slam champion Jannik Sinner (-125 at FanDuel Sportsbook) appears to be the favorite in the minds of others. The Italian is going for a three-peat in Melbourne after defeating Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in each of the last two Australian Open men’s finals.
Sabalenka had won consecutive grand slams at the Australian Open before American Madison Keys topped her in last year’s finals in three sets. The world No. 1 on the women’s side is the favorite (+180) ahead of Iga Swiatek (+550), Elena Rybakina (+750) and Americans Coco Gauff (+850) and Amanda Anisimova (+900). Sabalenka is gunning for her fifth career major after winning the US Open and coming in second at Wimbledon last year.
Carlos Alcaraz, whose best career finish in Australia is a quarterfinal appearance, will have play his best to have a shot at squaring off with Sinner in another major final. Alcaraz has won seven of the last eight matchups between the titans, including three major finals culminating with his brilliant showing at the 2025 US Open.
Where to watch Australian Open men’s, women’s singles
- Date: Qualifying runs through Jan. 17; Main-draw play begins Jan. 18
- Location: Melbourne Park Sports and Entertainment Precinct — Melbourne, Australia
- TV: ESPN, ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
Note: Since Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of the Eastern Time zone in the United States, many matches will be shown live during the middle of the night. When individual match pairings are released for the main draw, keep that in mind while planning your viewing schedule.
Can the American men break the streak?
Andy Roddick is the most recent American to win a slam slam title on the men’s side when he captured the 2003 US Open. Since, tennis has been dominated by three of the best players in history, including Novak Djokovic, who will appear in the Australian Open along with the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, two of the top-10 players in the world, have been the most consistent pair over the last two years with big serves and increased precision during grand slams. Fritz’s best major finish was a semifinal trip at Wimbledon last year while Shelton advanced to the semifinals in Melbourne.
Aryna Sabalenka enters with razor-sharp focus
Sabalenka pocketed another Brisbane International title this month to send a warning shot to those in the Australian Open main draw — she’s out for blood. Sabalenka did not drop a set in her grand slam warmup and leads what should be a competitive field. Since winning the 2023 Australian Open for her first major title, Sabalenka and Polish standout Iga Swiatek have combined to take eight of the last 12 grand slams on the women’s side. “I’ll do my best to go as far as possible,” Sabalenka said.
Novak Djokovic goes for 25th major
Djokovic, the fourth-ranked player in the world on the men’s side, withdrew from the Australian Open tuneup tournament has not played an official match since November when he beat Lorenzo Musetti in the final of the Hellenic Championship. After that victory, Djokovic announced he was skipping ATP Finals with a shoulder injury and instead shifted his focus toward 2026’s first grand slam.
Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open champion, last winning the tournament in 2023. He already holds the career lead with 24, and he nearly won that elusive 25th major on tour last year but came up short in the semifinals of all four events. Djokovic, 38, hinted at retirement last year after losing to Jannik Sinner in the French Open and his words following his US Open loss in September mirrored those remarks.
It’s clear, he wants to win one more grand slam before potentially untying his sneakers one final time as a professional athlete and one of the greatest players of all-time.
“Yeah, it will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner or Alcaraz in a best-of-5 in a grand slam,” Djokovic said in September. “I think I have a better chance best-of-3, but best-of-5 is tough. I’m not giving up on grand slams in that regard, having said that, I’m going to continue fighting and try to get to the finals and fight for an another trophy at least. But, you know, it’s going to be a very difficult task.”
Coco Gauff eyes third career major
After claiming her fourth-straight win over Swiatek during the United Cup in Sydney, Gauff became the only player to have beaten the former world No. 1 four consecutive times in straight sets. The budding superstar on the American side has never won the Australian Open, but is not lacking confidence entering the first major of the year.
The 21-year-old Gauff, who’s ranked No. 4 in the world, took to Instagram after beating Swiatek and reposted a photo of a leaping two-handed backhand smash at the net, one of several impressive winners during the match.
“Def(initely) my favorite shot to hit. My version of a slam dunk lol. Not as climatic but still cool I think haha,” Gauff wrote.
Gauff won the French Open last year and Wimbledon in 2023. Her best finish down under was a semifinal loss to Sabalenka in 2024.
