Australian Open 2026: How to watch the Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match tonight

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and 2 players in men's tennis, have played each other in every one 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 semifinal at the 2026 Australian Open to see which of them will make it to the final this year. The winner of tonight's match will go on to face either Sinner or Novak Djokovic in the final. Will Zverev make it to his second consecutive Australian Open final, or will Alcaraz make it to his fourth Grand Slam championship match in a row? To be determined...

The men's match begins at 10:30 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN and streaming on ESPN Unlimited. Here's what you need to know about the 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, Jan. 29

Time (estimated): 10:30 p.m. ET

Location: Rod Laver Arena

TV channel: ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more

When is the Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match at the 2026 Australian Open?

The semifinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open will be on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match start time:

The match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will start at 10:30 p.m. ET. The match will be available live on ESPN Unlimited, and coverage of it will air live on ESPN.

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Australian Open channel:

In the U.S., tonight's semifinal will air on ESPN and will stream on ESPN Unlimited.

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:

If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.

Don't live in the land down under? 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 mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.

Australian Open 2026 schedule:

All times Eastern

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Tuesday, January 27

(Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

(Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, January 28

(Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

(Day 12) Women’s Semifinals: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 29

(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 10:30 p.m.

Friday, January 30

(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.

Saturday, January 31

(Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 1

(Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?

The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.

Men’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

1. Carlos Alcaraz

2. Jannik Sinner

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Novak Djokovic

5. Felix Auger-Aliassime

Women’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026

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 each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.

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More ways to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

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