Australian Open 2024: Draws, dates, prize money and what you need to know

The Australian Open is set to kick off the 2024 Grand Slam season on the Hologic WTA Tour next week. With the WTA's best already firing on all cylinders, Melbourne Park is set to host another riveting edition.

Here's what you need to know about the Australian Open.

When does the tournament start?

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the Hologic WTA Tour season. It features a 128-player singles field, 64-team doubles field and 32-team mixed doubles field. The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used. 

For the first time in the tournament's history, this year's Australian Open will be played over 15 days and introduce a Sunday start on Jan. 14. The first round will be played across the first three days of the tournament. 

“We’ve listened to feedback from the players and fans and are excited to deliver a solution to minimize late finishes while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said. "The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike." 

What is the format?

All singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches will be played in a best-of-three tiebreak format. 

If the third set of a singles or doubles match reaches 6-6, a 10-point tiebreak will be played. 

In mixed doubles, a 10-point tiebreak will be played in lieu of a third set.

When are the finals? 

The singles final will be played on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

The doubles final is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m.

The mixed doubles final is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26 at noon.

Who are the defending champions?

Last year, Aryna Sabalenka went undefeated in Australia after sweeping the titles in Adelaide and the Australian Open. To pick up her first major title in Melbourne, Sabalenka came back to defeat Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two-and-a-half-hour thriller.

In doubles, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara 6-4, 6-3 to win their second Australian Open title and seventh major overall.

Who are the top seeds?

Tournament seedings are based on a player's WTA singles ranking on Monday, Jan. 8.

Top 16 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Elena Rybakina
4. Coco Gauff
5. Jessica Pegula
6. Ons Jabeur
7. Marketa Vondrousova
8. Maria Sakkari
9. Barbora Krejcikova
10. Beatriz Haddad Maia
11. Jelena Ostapenko
12. Zheng Qinwen
13. Liudmila Samsonova
14. Daria Kasatkina
15. Veronika Kudermetova
16. Caroline Garcia

What does the draw look like?

For a full analysis of the draw, click here. 

What is the prize money and ranking points on offer?

Round 1: 10 points/$120,000
Round 2: 70 points/$180,000
Round 3: 130 points/$255,000
Round 4: 240 poiints/$375,000
Quarterfinals: 430 points/$600,000
Semifinals: 780 points/$990,000
Finalist: 1,300 points/$1,725,000
Champion: 2,000 points/$3,150,000

Behind the Numbers: The Top 10 seeds

1. Iga Swiatek (POL)
Age: 22
Titles: 18
Hard-court titles: 10 (most recent: 2023 WTA Finals Cancun)
2024 Record: 5-0
Best Australian Open result: Semifinal (2022)
Last Australian Open result: Round of 16 (l. Rybakina)
First-round opponent: Sofia Kenin

2. Aryna Sabalenka
Age: 25
Titles: 13
Hard-court titles: 11 (most recent: 2023 Australian Open)
2024 Record: 4-1
Best Australian Open result: Champion (2023)
Last Australian Open result: Champion (2023)
First-round opponent: Qualifier

3. Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Age: 24
Titles: 6
Hard-court titles: 3 (most recent: 2024 Brisbane)
2024 Record: 6-1 
Best Australian Open result: Finalist (2023)
Last Australian Open result: Finalist (l. Sabalenka)
First-round opponent: Karolina Pliskova

4. Coco Gauff (USA)
Age: 19
Titles: 7
Hard-court titles: 6 (most recent: 2024 Auckland)
2024 Record: 5-0
Best Australian Open result: Round of 16 (2020, 2023)
Last Australian Open result: Round of 16 (l. Ostapenko)
First-round opponent: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova

5. Jessica Pegula (USA)
Age: 29
Titles: 5
Hard-court titles: 5 (most recent: 2023 Seoul)
2024 Record: 3-1 (currently playing Adelaide)
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinal (2021, 2022, 2023)
Last Australian Open result: Quarterfinal (l. Azarenka)
First-round opponent: Qualifier

6. Ons Jabeur (TUN)
Age: 29
Titles: 5
Hard-court titles: 1 (most receunt: 2023 Ningbo)
2024 Record: 0-0
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinal (2020)
Last Australian Open result: Second Round (l. Vondrousova)
First-round opponent: Qualifier

7. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
Age: 24
Titles: 2
Hard-court titles: 1 (most recent: 2017 Biel)
2024 Record: 1-1
Best Australian Open result: Round of 17 (2021)
Last Australian Open result: Third Round (l. L. Fruhvirtova)
First-round opponent: Qualifier

8. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Age: 28
Titles: 2
Hard-court titles: 1 (most recent: 2023 Guadalajara)
2024 Record: 3-0
Best Australian Open result: Round of 17 (2020, 2022)
Last Australian Open result: Third Round (l. Zhu Lin)
First-round opponent: Nao Hibino

9. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
Age: 28
Titles: 7
Hard-court titles: 5 (most recent: 2024 San Diego)
2024 Record: 0-1
Best Australian Open result: Quarterfinal (2022)
Last Australian Open result: Round of 16 (l. Pegula)
First-round opponent: Mai Hontama

10. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
Age: 27
Titles: 4
Hard-court titles: 1 (2023 WTA Elite Trophy)
2024 Record: 1-1
Best Australian Open result: Second round (2018, 2019, 2022)
Last Australian Open result: First round (l. Nuria Parrizas Diaz)
First-round opponent: Linda Fruhvirtova