Australian Open Tennis 2026 Womens Semi Finals: Prize money, draw, Thursday schedule, how to watch, odds - when is Aryna Sabalenka playing?

The prestigious tournament is the first of the four annual tennis majors – along with Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open.

Last year saw Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in the final to successfully his men's singles title, while Madison Keys won the women's singles after defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in a thrilling final.

Read more: Who is the richest tennis player? Here are the 18 wealthiest tennis stars in the world - Novak Djokovic net worth

And for the first time in the Open Era, this year all six top seeds in both the men’s and women’s tournaments made it to the last eight.

We now know who will contest the semi-finals.

On Tuesday Carlos Alcaraz made it to the last four, beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets.

He’ll play Alexander Zverev, who beat young prodigy Learner Tien in four sets, for a place in the final.

In the ladies championship number one seed Aryna Sabalenka thrashed Iva Jovic to set up a semi-final with Elina Svitolina who only lost three games to third seed Coco Gauff.

Then on Wednesday Novak Djokovic went through despite trailing by two sets when Lorenzo Musetti retired injured, to set up a clash with defending champion Jannik Sinner who beat Ben Shelton in straight sets.

And in the ladies tournament, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula advanced in straight sets against Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova respectively.

Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament on Thursday, January 29.

When is the Australian Open?

The Australian Open runs from January 18 to February 1.

The women’s singles final will be played on January 31 at 8.30am BST, while the men’s singles title will be decided from 5am on February 1.

What is the order of play for Thursday, January 29?

Here’s the lineup for ladies semi-finals day. Both matches are being played in the Rod Laver Arena - and are the last two matches on the court.

• 8.30am (estimated): Aryna Sabalenka v Elina Svitolina
• 10am (estimated): Jessica Pegula v Elena Rybakina

What is the schedule for the singles tournaments?

Here’s when the rest of the action will be taking place:

• January 30: Men's semi-finals
• January 31: Women's final (8.30am UK time)
• February 1: Men's final (8.30am UK time)

What is the prize money at the Australian Open tennis?

As with the other majors, the prize money is identical for the men’s and women’s singles and doubles tournaments. The prize money is broken down as follows:

Singles

• Winner: $4,150,000
• Finalist: $2,150,000
• Semi-finalist: $1,250,000
• Quarter-finalist: $750,000
• Fourth Round: $480,000
• Third Round: $327,750
• Second Round: $225,000
• First Round: $150,000

Doubles (to be shared between the players)

• Winner: $900,000
• Finalist: $485,000
• Semi-finalist: $275,000
• Quarter-finalist: $158,000
• Third Round: $92,000
• Second Round: $64,000
• First Round: $44,000

What is the difference in time between Melbourne and Britain?

Australian Eastern Daylight Time is 11 hours ahead of the UK, so much of the action will take place in the early hours of the morning.

Who are the favourites to win the Australian Open 2026?

Jannik Sinner is the favourite to take the men’s title with odds of 5/6, followed by Carlos Alcaraz (11/10), Novak Djokovic (22/1) and Alexander Zverev (22/1).

In the women’s tournament Aryna Sabalenka is the player to beat with odds of 4/6, followed by Elena Rybakina (9/4), Jessica Pegula (15/2) and Elina Svitolina (9/1).

How do I watch the Australian Open tennis in the UK?

The Australian Open will be available to watch live in the UK on Eurosport, the Eurosport App and discovery+.

The Discovery+ channel with TNT Sport is available from £30.99 per month from their website.

Eurosport is available as an add-on to Sky, BT and Amazon Prime subscribers.

Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.