MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Get caught up on the Australian Open 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 and more:
How to watch the Australian Open on TV
— In the U.S.: ESPN and Tennis Channel.
— Other countries are listed here.
Who is on Thursday's schedule at the Austra
lian Open?
Defending champion Jannik Sinner and five-time major champion Iga Swiatek highlight the second-round schedule in Rod Laver Arena on Day 5. Swiatek starts play at 11:30 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. EST Wednesday) against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia. Sinner takes on Australian wild-card entry Tristan Schoolkate to open the night session at 7 p.m. (3 a.m. EST). The Sinner vs. Schoolkate match will be followed by Jasmine Paolini, a finalist at Wimbledon and Roland Garros last year, against Renata Zarazúa. Taylor Fritz, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up to Sinner, plays qualifier Cristian Garín of Chile at Margaret Court Arena, and Daniil Medvedev, a three-time Australian Open runner-up, faces 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien at night on the same court. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and 2023 Australian Open finalist, takes on American wild-card entry Iva Jovic on John Cain Arena.
What happened Wednesday at the Australian Open?
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year's runner-up in Australia, was upset by No. 97 Laura Siegemund 7-6 (3), 6-3. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka extended her run to 16 wins at Melbourne Park by winning the last five games to beat No. 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5. Naomi Osaka, another two-time Australian Open champion, reached the third round of a major for the first time since 2022 with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 20 Karolina Muchova. Novak Djokovic, seeking a record 25th major trophy, played in his record 430th Grand Slam singles match and won it, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 over Jaime Faria. Carlos Alcaraz advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 over Yoshihito Nishioka.
What are the betting odds for the Australian Open?
Jannik Sinner is listed as an overwhelming, -10000 money-line favorite to defeat Australian wild-card entry Tristan Schoolkate (+2200), and Taylor Fritz is listed at -3000 against Cristian Garín (+1050), a qualifier from Chile. Iga Swiatek is listed at -5000 for her second-round match against Rebecca Sramkova (+1200). Elena Rybakina (-2000) is favored to beat Iva Jovic (+825).
What is the Australian Open singles schedule?
— Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)
— Friday-Saturday: Third Round (Women and Men)
— Sunday-Monday: 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
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What do I need to know about tennis and the Australian Open?
Get caught up:
— A Grand Slam innovation — the courtside coaches’ boxes in Melbourne
— The Big Three is down to just Novak Djokovic
— There isn’t really any time off for tennis players during their offseason
— Coco Gauff improved her serve and forehand heading into the Australian Open
— Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner already have a real rivalry atop men's tennis
— Aryna Sabalenka added a U.S. Open trophy in 2024 to the past two Melbourne Park titles
— Jannik Sinner's doping case will have a hearing in April
— Before his 1st Slam in 2 years, Jenson Brooksby spoke to the AP about being autistic
How much prize money is there at the 2025 Australian Open?
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.
Key stats at Melbourne Park
2022 -- The last time four-time major champion Naomi Osaka reached the third round at a Grand Slam tournament until getting that far again with a victory Wednesday.
430 — Grand Slam singles matches played by Novak Djokovic, the most in tennis history, breaking a tie with Roger Federer. Serena Williams holds the women’s record of 423.
What was said at the Australian Open?
“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis.” — Laura Siegemund, after upsetting 2024 runner-up Zheng Qinwen.
“Am I a serve bot?” — Carlos Alcaraz, writing on the lens of a TV camera after hitting 14 aces and winning 89% of points when he got his first serve in.
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