Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
MELBOURNE, Australia — Get ready for the Australian Open before play begins with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is, who the defending champions are and more:
The draw to set the brackets for the women's and men's singles fields is Thursday in Australia (Wednesday EST). The time in Melbourne is 14 hours later than on the East Coast of the United States, so when play begins in the tournament's main draw on Sunday morning in Australia, it will be Saturday night in New York. In general, matches begin at 11 a.m. local time (7 p.m. the night before EST), and the night sessions start at 7 p.m. local time (3 a.m. EST).
— In the U.S.: ESPN and Tennis Channel.
— Other countries are listed here.
Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are listed as the money-line favorites to win the Australian Open, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Sabalenka — who won each of the past two Australian Opens and the U.S. Open in September — is at +225. She is followed by 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff at +300. No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who owns five Grand Slam titles but none from the Australian Open, is next at +500, with 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina at +800. Sinner, whose first Grand Slam trophy arrived at Melbourne Park a year ago and second came at the U.S. Open, is listed at +140, ahead of four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz at +333 and 24-time Slam champ Novak Djokovic at +450. There's a drop to fourth pick Alexander Zverev at +900.
The Australian Open is played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park. Women play best-of-three-set matches; men play best-of-five. There are separate day and night sessions. The event lasts 15 days. There are retractable roofs on the three largest courts: Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.
Aryna Sabalenka will be the top-seeded woman, and Jannik Sinner will be the top-seeded man.
— Jan. 12-14: First Round (Women and Men)
— Jan. 15-16: Second Round (Women and Men)
— Jan. 17-18: Third Round (Women and Men)
— Jan. 19-20: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
— Jan. 21-22: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)
— Jan. 23: Women's Semifinals
— Jan. 24: Men's Semifinals
— Jan. 25: Women's Final
— Jan. 26: Men's Final
Aryna Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Jannik Sinner eliminated 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
Let's see if you know as much as you think you do about the Australian Open. The Associated Press has put together a quiz to test your knowledge — the faster you answer, the more points you get. Try to top the leaderboard.
Get caught up:
— Novak Djokovic says he still feels 'trauma' when he travels to Australia because of his deportation
— Defending men's champion Jannik Sinner had an eventful 2024
— Iga Swiatek agreed to serve a doping suspension last season
— Coco Gauff is coming off a title at the last big women's tournament of 2024
— Jenson Brooksby spoke to the AP about being autistic before his 1st Slam in 2 years
— Aryna Sabalenka added a U.S. Open trophy in 2024 to the past two Melbourne Park titles
— Rafael Nadal has joined fellow Big Three member Roger Federer in retirement
Total prize money at the Australian Open is rising to a tournament-record 96.5 million Australian dollars (about $60 million). The two singles champions each will receive 3.5 million Australian dollars (about $2.15 million), up from 3.15 million Australian dollars (about $1.95 million) a year ago, but still below the pre-pandemic high of 4.12 million Australian dollars ($2.55 million) in 2020.
3 — Aryna Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women's singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
24 — The number of Grand Slam singles championship won by Novak Djokovic, tied with Margaret Court for the most by anyone in the history of tennis. One more will give Djokovic sole possession of the record.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
