Australian swing 411: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

Tennis fans, the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz is less than a week away, with the Australian swing kicking off the season shortly after the new year.

Six tour-level and two WTA 125 events will take place over the next month on the hard courts of the South Pacific, culminating with the season’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open. 

Here’s how last year’s finals Down Under played out:

United Cup (WTA 500): United States def. Poland 2-0
Brisbane (WTA 500): Aryna Sabalenka def. Polina Kudermetova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Auckland (WTA 250): Clara Tauson def. Naomi Osaka 4-6, ret.  
Adelaide (WTA 500): Madison Keys def. Jessica Pegula 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Hobart (WTA 250): McCartney Kessler def. Elise Mertens 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Australian Open (Grand Slam): Keys def. Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

From dates, seeds, storylines and more, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 Australian swing:

Week 1: Jan. 2 – Jan. 16 

United Cup (WTA 500 and ATP 500 mixed-team event)

Perth group stage, quarterfinals: Jan. 2-6, Jan. 7 -- RAC Arena
Sydney group stage, quarterfinals: Jan. 3-7, Jan. 8 -- Ken Rosewall Arena
Semifinals and final: Jan. 9-10, Jan. 11 -- Sydney
Time zone: Perth -- Australian Western Standard Time (GMT +8, EST +13); Sydney – Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16)

United Cup: Scores | Schedule | Teams | Group Breakdown

Seeds: (1) United States, (2) Canada, (3) Italy, (4) Australia, (5) Great Britain, (6) Germany

The 18-team international event brings the world’s best players together in a mixed-team competition split between Perth and Sydney. Each city hosts nine teams during the group stage, divided into three groups of three. All group winners, along with the best second-place finisher, advance to the quarterfinals in their respective host city. The semifinals and final will then be played in Sydney.

A full breakdown of the United Cup with everything else you need to know will be published on wtatennis.com just ahead of the tournament’s start. Stay tuned.

Brisbane International (WTA 500)

Singles final: Sunday, Jan. 11, 4:30 p.m.
Doubles final: Saturday, Jan. 10, not before 8 p.m.
Time zone: Australia Eastern Standard Time (GMT +10, EST +15)

Brisbane: Scores | Order of play | Draws | Entry List

Seeds: (1) Aryna Sabalenka, (2) Amanda Anisimova, (3) Elena Rybakina, (4) Jessica Pegula, (5) Madison Keys, (6) Mirra Andreeva, (7) Ekaterina Alexandrova, (8) Clara Tauson

Seven of the world’s top 10 players in the PIF WTA Rankings will be in the field in Queensland, led by defending champion and World No. 1 Sabalenka. A year ago, Sabalenka conquered the draw after falling to Rybakina in the 2024 final. The field also consists of six Grand Slam champions. Storylines to look out for:

• The 2026 field consists of three previous champions of the event -- Sabalenka, Rybakina and Karolina Pliskova. The latter is a three-time winner of the event, taking the title in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
• Anisimova, Pegula and Keys are the top ranked Americans in the field. The last time an American won the event was Serena Williams, who won it consecutively in 2013 and 2014. 
• Australian teenager Emerson Jones, who is from Queensland, received a wild card and will make her debut at the event. Ranked at No. 150, Jones made the transition from juniors to tour level over the past season. 

Brisbane ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 | $11,920
Second round: 32 | $13,735
Round of 16: 60 | $19,909
Quarterfinals: 108 | $37,640
Semifinals: 195 | $77,115
Finalist: 325 | $134,600
Champion: 500 | $214,530

ASB Classic (WTA 250)

Singles final: Sunday, Jan. 11, time TBD
Doubles final: Sunday, Jan. 11, time TBD
Time zone: New Zealand Daylight Time (GMT +13, EST +18)

Auckland: Scores | Order of play | Draws | Entry List

Seeds: (1) Elina Svitolina, (2) Emma Navarro, (3) Iva Jovic, (4) Alexandra Eala, (5) Janice Tjen, (6) Magda Linette, (7) Wang Xinyu, (8) Peyton Stearns

The first WTA 250 event of the new season takes place in New Zealand, and the tournament field consists of rising stars and tennis legends. Previous defending champions Clara Tauson and Coco Gauff will be competing in Brisbane and the United Cup respectively, paving the way for a new champion to be crowned. Storylines to look out for:

• New Zealand rising star Lulu Sun will be the crowd favorite as the Kiwi qualified directly with her No. 90 ranking. The 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinalist won her first WTA 125 title in Jingshan, China, in September and reached the final in Guangzhou in October. 
• Rising stars Janice Tjen and Alexandra Eala will make their debuts at the event. Tjen closed her 2025 season with a 125 title in Jinan and a 250 title in Chennai. In 2025, Eala became the first Filipina to crack the top 50 and she’s searching for her first tour-level title. 
• Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, just days removed from her wedding, has received a wild card for the event. The 2015 champion returned to competition last July after a 16-month layoff, and this will be her first tournament since the US Open. Fellow American Sloane Stephens, the 2016 champion, also received a wild card.

Auckland ranking points
First round: 1
Second round: 30
Quarterfinals: 54
Semifinals: 98
Finalist: 163
Champion: 250

Week 2: Jan. 12 – Jan. 18

Adelaide International (WTA 500)

Singles final: Saturday, Jan. 17, not before 12:30 p.m.
Doubles final: Friday, Jan. 16, not before 6:30 p.m.
Time zone: Australian Central Daylight Time (GMT +10.5, EST +15.5)

Adelaide: Scores | Order of play | Draws | Entry List

Seeds: (1) Jessica Pegula, (2) Madison Keys, (3) Mirra Andreeva, (4) Ekaterina Alexandrova, (5) Belinda Bencic, (6) Clara Tauson, (7) Linda Noskova, (8) Emma Navarro

Four top-10 players will make the trip to South Australia in the final 500 event before the Australian Open, headlined by defending champion Keys. With 19 direct entrants, the singles draw consists of 30 players with the top two seeds, Pegula and Keys, receiving a bye into the second round. Storylines to watch:

• Keys’ stellar 2025 Australian swing all started in Adelaide. Then-unseeded, her path to the championship included Beatriz Haddad Maia, Jelena Ostapenko, Daria Kasatkina and Liudmila Samsonova. In the final, she defeated top-seeded Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. It was the beginning of a 16-match win streak that ended in the Indian Wells semifinals.
• The draw features 2024 champion Ostapenko and 2023 champion Belinda Bencic. Ostapenko defeated Kasatkina in the 2024 final, and. Bencic won her seventh career WTA title at Adelaide in 2023, also withstanding Kasatkina in the final. They eye to be a two-time champion, joining Ashleigh Barty, who won in 2020 and 2022 (Keys won the Adelaide International 2 event in 2022, which was a 250 tournament in place of the cancelled Hobart International). 
• Top 30 Ukrainians Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska are also in the draw. Kostuk advanced to the quarterfinals in 2024, while Yastremska reached the final in 2020. Of the 19 direct entrants, 18 are ranked in the top 30 in the PIF WTA Rankings.

Adelaide ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 | $11,250
Round of 16: 60 | $17,235
Quarterfinals: 108 | $33, 470
Semifinals: 195 | $66,000
Finalist: 325 | $114,500
Champion: 500 | $185,500

Hobart International (WTA 250)

Singles final: Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.
Doubles final: Saturday, Jan. 17, not before 3 p.m.
Time zone: Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16)

Hobart: Scores | Order of play | Draws | Entry List

Seeds: (1) Elise Mertens, (2) Emma Raducanu, (3) McCartney Kessler, (4) Iva Jovic, (5) Ann Li, (6) Eva Lys, (7) Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, (8) Tatjana Maria

Tasmania’s premier WTA 250 event takes place from Jan. 12-17 and features nine top-50 players and two former Grand Slam champions in its 31st edition. Four of the past five editions have been won by an American, with Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina the lone exception in 2020. Every player in the initial entry list will compete at the Australian Open the following week. Storylines to look out for:

• A year ago, Kessler won her second career WTA singles title with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win over Mertens, following her 2024 victory in Cleveland. Kessler had a strong 2025 campaign that saw her reach a career-high rank of No. 30, and she looks to be the second player ever in the tournament’s history to win back-to-back titles.
• The first player to win consecutive titles in Hobart was Mertens in 2017 and 2018. The Belgian is the highest-ranked player in this year’s field, and she’s reached the final in the past two editions -- she fell to Emma Navarro in the 2024 final. At Hobart, she’s been a top two seed for four straight years and has a 22-4 career record at the event.
• Emma Raducanu, 2021 US Open champion and Barbora Krejcikova, 2024 Wimbledon and 2021 Roland Garros champion, will make their debuts at the event. Raducanu is the second-highest ranked player in the draw at No. 29. 

Hobart ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 | $3,065
Round of 16: 30 | $4,285
Quarterfinals: 54 | $7,025
Semifinals: 98 | $12,331
Finalist: 163 | $22,125
Champion: 250 | $37,390

Weeks 3 & 4: Jan. 19 – Feb. 1

Australian Open (Grand Slam)

Singles final: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Doubles final: Saturday, Jan. 31, time TBD
Time zone: Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16)

Australian Open: Scores | Order of play | Draws | Entry List

Seeds: (1) Aryna Sabalenka, (2) Iga Swiatek, (3) Coco Gauff, (4) Amanda Anisimova, (5) Elena Rybakina, (6) Jessica Pegula, (7) Madison Keys, (8) Jasmine Paolini

The first Grand Slam of the year features 101 of the top 103 players in the world, based on the PIF WTA Rankings from Dec. 8. Top seeded Sabalenka and Swiatek headline the main-draw entry list that consists of 11 Grand Slam champions. Last year, Keys won Melbourne, her first career Grand Slam title, against two-time defending champion Sabalenka with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory. The last direct entry into the field was No. 103 Leolia Jeanjean. 

A full breakdown of the Australian Open with everything else you need to know will be published on wtatennis.com just ahead of the tournament’s start. Stay tuned.

WTA 125s

Workday Canberra International: Jan. 5 – Jan. 10

Singles final: Saturday, Jan. 10, time TBD
Doubles final: Saturday, Jan. 9, time TBD
Time zone: Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16) 

Canberra: Scores | Order of play | Draws

With two days of qualifying leading into the commencement of the main draw on Jan. 5, the Workday Canberra International can give us a glimpse into future tennis stars. Japan’s Aoi Ito won the 2025 title with a 6-4, 6-3, victory over Wei Sijia while Eala and Ella Seidel were among the rising stars in the fold.

Philippine Women’s Open: Jan. 26 – Jan. 31

Singles final: Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m.
Doubles final: Friday, Jan. 30 not before 7 p.m.
Time zone: Philippine Standard Time (GMT +8, EST+13)

Manila: Scores | Order of play | Draws

For the first time ever, the Philippines will be added as a stop on the WTA calendar with a 125 event in the nation’s capital, Manila. A 32-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw will be played on outdoor hard courts, and features a total prize pool of $115,000.