Marquette, MI – January 15th, 2026 – First held in 1905, the Australian Open has a long and evolving history, having been staged across several cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, as well as New Zealand, before settling into its current and permanent home at Melbourne Park in 1988. Qualifying matches for the tournament got underway on January 12, with the opening round of the main draw set to begin this Sunday.
The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments held each year, followed by the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, and often sets the tone for the rest of the tennis season by showcasing emerging stars and early title contenders. Since its inception, the tournament has been contested on three different surfaces. It began as a grass-court event from 1905 to 1987, transitioned to a Rebound Ace hard court between 1988 and 2007, and later evolved into the Plexicushion GreenSet hard court that players compete on today.
The men’s side of the sport over the past two years has been firmly controlled by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Ranked world No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, the pair have combined to win the last eight Grand Slam titles, claiming four apiece. Although Alcaraz currently leads Sinner by 550 ranking points, the real gap appears further down the list, as the difference between No. 2 and No. 3 stands at a massive 6,395 points. The last time a Grand Slam title was won by someone other than Alcaraz or Sinner was at the 2023 US Open, when Novak Djokovic lifted the trophy. As a result, the ATP Tour continues to search for a player capable of challenging the two reigning kings of men’s tennis.
On the women’s side, the landscape has been far less predictable. Unlike the men’s game, there has been no sustained dominance from a single player. Over the last six Grand Slam tournaments, five different champions have emerged, including Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Barbora Krejčíková. Notably, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was not among those winners during that stretch, despite capturing the most recent two US Open titles. Madison Keys now looks to defend her title after last year’s dramatic victory over Sabalenka, winning 6–3, 2–6, 7–5. During her championship run, Keys defeated both the world No. 1 and No. 2, underscoring the depth and unpredictability that continues to define the women’s game. The action gets rolling this Sunday, with every moment streaming on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+.
