New-look finals weekend: AO 2026 provisional schedule released

Fans can look forward to a reimagined finals weekend at Australian Open 2026, part of an exciting offering of events spanning 12 January to 1 February.

The men’s and women’s doubles finals will be staged on the final Saturday afternoon at Rod Laver Arena, preceding that evening’s women’s singles final.

AO 2026: Rivalries ignite, legends return, next generation arrives

The junior singles finals – previously held during that Saturday afternoon slot – will move to the Sunday afternoon at Rod Laver Arena, prior to the men’s singles final.

The men’s singles final brings to a conclusion three thrilling weeks of tennis and entertainment at Melbourne Park.

Here are the highlights of that schedule, helping you plan your AO 2026 experience.

Opening Week

The tennis kicks off on Monday 12 January – a day on which kids go free – with the qualifying tournament, where fields of 128 men and 128 women will be whittled down to 32 for the third and final round.

Those final-round qualifying matches take place on Thursday 15 January, where you can see 16 men and 16 women clinch coveted spots in the main draw.

This is also the same day the Australian Open singles main draws are unveiled, an event you can watch live on site at Melbourne Park.

There are plenty more opportunities to enjoy world-class tennis during Opening Week, thanks to blockbuster charity matches scheduled on four evenings (13-16 January) at Rod Laver Arena.

Plus, there’s the Million Dollar 1 Point Slam, the exciting new iteration of an event concluding with a final on Wednesday 14 January at Rod Laver Arena.

Open practice sessions will also be a highlight of the schedule – fans can enter Rod Laver Arena each day to watch the world’s best players practice and prepare for AO 2026 – while Opening Week concludes on a high with the ever-popular Kids Tennis Day on Saturday 17 January.

Main Draw Week 1

Main-draw singles action begins on 18 January, the tournament’s third consecutive Sunday start giving fans a weekend opportunity to catch first-round action.

First-round matches span three days, the third of those overlapping with the start of the men’s and women’s doubles events on Tuesday 20 January.

Wednesday 21 January marks Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day, named after the Australian tennis legend and First Nations ambassador and spotlighting First Nations music, dance, art and food around the precinct.

It’s one of many special days on the Week 1 calendar; there’s also Emirates Day (20 January), Hot Shots Day (22 January) – on which the AO Ballpark comes alive with mini courts, games, and activities for kids of all ages – and Kia Sunday (25 January).

Meanwhile, the mixed doubles tournament begins Thursday 22 January while the junior singles events commence on Saturday 24 January.

Main Draw Week 2

Tuesday 27 January marks the start of the AO Legends Cup, a four-day star-studded team event pitting Australia against the World in an exhilarating mix of men’s, women’s and mixed doubles matches.

That’s the same day men’s and women’s quarterfinal action begins at Rod Laver Arena, and main-draw action in five wheelchair tennis singles events – men, women, quads, boys and girls – kicks off on the outside courts in a boon for ground-pass holders.

The next day, AO LIVE Presents begins its five-night concert series at John Cain Arena, with The Kid LAROI, Spacey Jane, The Veronicas + SOFI TUKKER and Peggy Gou headlining the stage from 28 January to 1 February.

TICKETS: AO LIVE Presents

There are more celebratory days including All Abilities Day (27 January), Women & Girls Day (29 January) – concluding with the women’s singles semifinals under lights at Rod Laver Arena – and Pride Day (30 January), the latter coinciding with the first of three days of Glam Slam action.

The finals

There are 19 tennis events at Australian Open 2026, all of which conclude across the final three days of the tournament.

Eight of these finals – the mixed doubles, junior boys’ and girls’ doubles, and doubles finals in all five wheelchair disciplines – play out on Friday 30 January, the same day the men’s singles semifinals take centre stage at Rod Laver Arena.

Eight more finals follow on Saturday 31 January, a day headlined by the women’s singles final and also featuring men’s and women’s doubles finals and five wheelchair singles finals.

The junior boys’ and girls’ singles finals land on Sunday 1 February, before AO 2026 concludes with the men’s singles final.

Many are hoping that final features the latest installment of the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the world’s top two men who have combined to win the past eight Grand Slam titles.

But there are plenty of players looking to prevent that, and plenty of action to unfold before that point.

Get your tickets, tune in and follow along to discover how it all ends.

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