Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and 2 players in men’s tennis, have faced each other in each of the last three Grand Slam finals. In fact, the only men’s tennis player to appear in a Grand Slam final in 2025 who wasn’t Alcaraz or Sinner was No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, who narrowly lost to Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. This year, Alcaraz and Zverev will face off in the men’s semifinals at the 2026 Australian Open to see which of them advances to the final this year. The winner of tonight’s match will face Sinner or Novak Djokovic in the final. Will Zverev reach his second straight Australian Open final, or will Alcaraz reach his fourth straight Grand Slam championship match? To be determined…
The men’s match begins at 10:30 p.m. ET, broadcast live on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Unlimited. Here’s what you need to know about Alcaraz vs. Zverev match at the 2026 Australian Open.
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How to watch Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open:
Date: Thursday January 29
Time (estimated): 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Rod Laver Arena
TV channel: ESPN, ESPN deports
Streaming: Unlimited ESPN, DirectTV, Fubo and more
When is the Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match at the 2026 Australian Open?
The semi-final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev match start time:
The match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET. The match will be available live on ESPN Unlimited and coverage will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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Australian Open Channel:
In the United States, tonight’s semi-final will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN Unlimited.
How to watch the Australian Open 2026:
ESPN’s revamped streaming platform features thousands of exclusive live events, original studio shows and acclaimed series broadcast across ESPN’s suite of 7 linear channels, as well as exclusive content on ESPN+, ABC on ESPN, SEC+, ACCNX and select content from NFL Network and NFL RedZone. The Unlimited tier costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year.
The DirecTV Tier DirecTV gives you access to many channels where you can watch college and professional sports, including ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
DirecTV’s DirecTV tier plan costs $89.99/month. But you can currently try all of this for free for 5 days. If you want to try a live TV streaming service but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
Fubo’s lean sports offering includes local owned-and-operated broadcast stations from ABC, CBS and FOX, plus additional affiliates in select markets, as well as ACC Network, Big 10 Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox News, FS1, FS2, Fubo Sports Network, ION, NFL Network, SEC Network and Tennis Channel. It also includes free access to ESPN’s new ESPN+ Unlimited plan. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage.
You can get $10 off your first month of this Fubo sports plan, bringing the cost to $45.99; after that, it goes up to $55.99/month.
Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:
If you want to catch every match at the Australian Open and are not currently subscribed to ESPN+, cable or live TV streaming servicein Australia, the majority of the action will be streamed free with ads on 9Now.
You don’t live in the Netherlands? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can hide your IP address, and is perhaps the most popular because it’s especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you are looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which dropped the US version of the streamer in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable plan, a VPN can help. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every type of user.
ExpressVPN offers “borderless internet,” which means you can get free coverage of the 2026 Australian Open without a cable plan. All you’ll have to do is sign up for ExpressVPN, change your server location to Australia, and then find free live streaming coverage via 9Now. Plus, it’s Engadget’s choice for best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: the Basic plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced plan (starting at $4.49/month), and the Pro plan (starting at $7.49/month).
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
Australian Open 2026 Schedule:
All times Eastern
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Tuesday January 27
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(Day 10) Men’s and women’s quarter-finals: 3:00 a.m.
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(Day 11) Men’s and women’s quarter-finals: 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday January 28
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(Day 11) Men’s and women’s quarter-finals: 3:00 a.m.
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(Day 12) Women’s semi-finals: 7:00 p.m.
Thursday January 29
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(Day 13) Men’s semi-final: 10:30 p.m.
Friday January 30
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(Day 13) Men’s semi-final: 3h30
Saturday January 31
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(Day 14) Women’s Final: 3h30
Sunday February 1st
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(Day 15) Men’s Final: 3h30
Who will play at the 2026 Australian Open?
The top 10 seeds for singles draws are listed below.
Men’s singles seeds for the 2026 Australian Open
1. Carlos Alcaraz
2. Jannik Sinner
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Félix Auger-Aliassime
Women’s singles seeds for the 2026 Australian Open
1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Amanda Anisimova
4. Coco Gauff
5. Elena Rybakina
Australian Open Prize Money:
For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open will each receive $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and the semi-finalists $1,250,000.
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Other ways to watch the 2026 Australian Open:
Sling TV’s Day Pass gives consumers the freedom to watch what they want, when they want, without committing to a monthly streaming subscription.
A one-day pass costs $4.99 and lets you watch all the channels available through Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Disney Channel and 30 others without any other subscriptions or commitments necessary. No strings attached.
