The Grand Slam tour in tennis rolls on with the 2020 Australian Open, which began in earnest Monday and carrying through to the Feb. 1 and 2 finals. On the women’s side, Serena Williams is vying to pull even with Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slam singles titles with defending champ Naomi Osaka and other challengers standing in the way. For the men, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will challenge 2019 Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic.
It’s happening amidst the backdrop of raging wildfires that have ravaged the continent, and smoke from the fires has actually been a factor for some of the players. That’s led to some intriguing thought pieces, include a recent one in The Nation wondering if this tournament is a harbinger of climate change interfering with outdoor sports.
What channel is the Australian Open on?
The Australian Open will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks: Mostly ESPN2 through the early rounds and on ESPN for the semis and finals, with ESPN Deportes doing Spanish-language coverage.
When are the men’s and women’s Australian Open semifinals?
The women’s semifinals were on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 10pm ET, with 14th-seed American Sofia Kenin upsetting top-seed Ashleigh Barty, and at 11:30pm ET with 4th-seed Simona Halep falling to unseeded Garbiñe Muguruza. The first men’s semifinal was Thursday, Jan. 30 at 3:30am ET, where No. 2 Novak Djokovic beat No. 3 Roger Federer in straight sets. The other men’s semifinal, on Friday, Jan. 31 at 3:30am ET, featured 5th-seed Dominic Thiem taking four sets to beat 7th-seed Alexander Zverev, winning all three of them 7-6.
When are the men’s and women’s Australian Open finals?
The men’s final, featuring Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem, is on Sunday, Feb. 2 at the same early time. Kenin beat Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s title on Saturday, Feb. 1.
How to watch the Australian Open online: Australian Open tennis live stream
Each of the following services carries ESPN and ESPN2 for tennis fans wanting to access all the Australian Open action.
| HOW TO STREAM 2020 AUSTRALIAN OPEN | |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
| SLING TV | TRY NOW |
| AT&T TV NOW | TRY NOW |
| VIDGO | TRY NOW |
1) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $54.99-60.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its broad spectrum of offerings, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
2) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $30-$45 per month ($10 off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $30 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NBCSN, NFL Network, and local channels. (Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC, where some Australian Open matches appear; see if yours has it here). Sling Blue also brings Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Headline News as part of its regular slate of channels, with Fox Business Channel available for those who get the Sling Blue News Extra add-on.
If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $45 per month.
Other features include a Free Cloud DVR tier for all subscribers (allowing 10 hours of recording a month), the ability to record all live linear channels, and no VOD preemption on any channels. New subscribers get $10 off the first month.
To add beIN SPORTS and ESPN Deportes and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and beIN SPORTS Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from La Liga, Ligue 1 and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four beIN SPORTS channels. (And choosing Best of Spanish + Sling Orange for $35 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
3) AT&T TV Now
- Cost: $65-$135 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
AT&T TV Now provides instant access to more than 45 channels, including local channels, at its minimum, but it also includes numerous package choices that rival cable options in size. For tennis fans, that means ESPN and ESPN, and there are plenty of other sports to be found on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, NBCSN, FS1, and FS2. It even offers free HBO on its Plus and Max channel suites. The $5 Deportes add-on gives access to ESPN Deportes, TUDN, Fox Deportes, Gol TV, and TyC Sports for even more sports en Español. And if you need to record any action to watch later, it comes with CloudDVR for up to 20 hours of TV recording per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5.
4) Vidgo
- Cost: $14.99-24.99 or $39.99-$49.99 per month
- Vidgo devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
Vidgo offers a package for under $40 a month that pulls together more than 60 English-language channels into its National English Package, including ABC, Fox, the ESPN family of channels (including ESPN Deportes), FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, and BeIN Sports for sports fans. It offers an array of entertainment favorites, including A&E, HGTV, History, Lifetime, and a full range of Nickolodeon channels, including TeenNick and NickToons.
College sports fans will love it, too: The ACCN, Big Ten Network, the Longhorn Network, and Pac-12 Network are all on the Core package, and for $10 more, the Plus package offers all six market-specific Pac-12 Networks.
If you just want your Vidgo en Español, it features programming from throughout the Americas and even Spain in two skinny packages. Both the Latino Streaming Plan ($14.99 per month) and Latino Mas Streaming Plan ($24.99 per month) include BeIN’s main Spanish-language channel, TyC Sports, and Azteca America, while the higher tier adds DAZN.
Also, through its Vidgo app, it’s offering the option of Social TV, which allows Vidgo users to connect in real-time as they’re watching programming on their phones.
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for sports fans, with ESPN, ESPN2, and all the major local channels (provided you’re in the right zip code). Soccer fans will love it, in particular for TNT for Champions League matches, NBC and NBCSN for Premier League matches, and broadcasting partnerships with three MLS teams. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
The 2020 Australian Open seeds
Novak Djokovic, the defending Australian Open champion, is seeded second to Nadal, who Djokovic beat last year to win his seventh Melbourne title. Remarkably, only four men have won the tournament since 2006, with this year’s 15th-seed Stan Wawrinka crashing the party in 2014. Otherwise, it’s been Djokovic dominating along with Federer, who has won six titles dating back to 2004. Nadal, who won his lone title in 2009, is overdue to add a second Australian Open trophy to his collection.
On the women’s side, defending champ Naomi Osaka, who started as only the third seed, was ousted by 15-year-old phenom Coco Gauff in the third round. That opens the pathway for Willians, who came into the tournament as the No. 8 seed.
Ashleigh Barty, who won the French Open last year, is pegged as the top seed and as the best chance for an Australian to win the tournament since Chris O’Neil captured it back in 1978. It wasn’t so long ago, back in 2017, when the final was an all-Williams affair, with Selena besting Venus for her seventh title.
2020 Australian Open men’s seeds
1. Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3. Roger Federer (Switzerland)
4. Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
5. Dominic Thiem (Austria)
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
7. Alexander Zverev (Germany)
8. Matteo Berrettini (Italy)
9. Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
10. Gael Monfils (France)
11. David Goffin (Belgium)
12. Fabio Fognini (Italy)
13. Denis Shapovalov (Canada)
14. Diego Schwartzman (Argentina)
15. Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
16. Karen Khachanov (Russia)
2020 Australian Open women’s seeds
1. Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
2. Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic)
3. Naomi Osaka (Japan)
4. Simona Halep (Romania)
5. Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)
6. Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)
7. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)
8. Serena Williams (United States)
9. Kiki Bertens (Netherlands)
10. Madison Keys (United States)
11. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
12. Johanna Konta (United Kingdom)
13. Petra Martic (Croatia)
14. Sofia Kenin (United States)
15. Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic)
16. Elise Mertens (Belgium)
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