Australian Open 2020 FREE: Live stream, TV channel, full schedule, and bushfire info ahead of first Slam of the year
GRAND SLAM tennis returns as the world’s best face off at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray will once again miss out as he continues his recovery, but Novak Djokovic will be looking to defend his crown and move up to 17 major titles.
But the competition will be overshadowed by the ongoing troubles in Australia, with Melbourne not far from where bushfires have sent the nation into a state of emergency.
It will also be a farewell tournament for Caroline Wozniacki, who is set to retire afterwards.
When is the Australian Open 2020?
The Australian Open will start on Monday, January 20.
It runs through until the men’s singles final on Sunday, February 2.
It is being held at Melbourne Park.
Matches will start at 11am in Australia on all courts – that is 12am in UK.
The reigning men’s singles champion is Novak Djokovic, while the women’s singles title is currently held by Naomi Osaka.
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What TV channel will it be shown on and can I live stream it for FREE?
The Australian Open will be shown live on Eurosport for the tournament.
This is available as part of sports and entertainment packages with the likes of Sky, Virgin and BT TV.
If you do not have those, you can subscribe to Eurosport Player for £4.99 a month or £39.99 for the year to live stream the competition.
Alternatively, you can sign up for an Amazon Prime 30-day trial that allows you to watch Eurosport for FREE for seven days.
What is the latest on the bushfires?
Bushfires have raged around Australia since June 2019, with the country in a state of emergency over the situation.
It is believed around a billion animals have died with at least 29 people also killed.
The bushfires have largely hit New South Wales in the east, with Melbourne sitting in the southeast.
Qualifying for the Australian Open was cancelled due to the extreme conditions, with British star Liam Broady complaining that organisers had been telling players to continue despite the hazardous conditions.
During the qualifiers, players had to play in smoky conditions, while torrential rain made the air highly unsafe.
A number of stars including Canada’s Denis Shapovalov have threatened to quit the tournament altogether, with the world no.13 stating: “I don’t want to risk my life.”
But organisers are planning to push ahead with the competition, with play scheduled as normal for Monday.
What is today’s match schedule?
MONDAY, JANUARY 19 - ORDER OF PLAY
Rod Laver Arena
N. Osaka (3) vs M. Bouzkova
A. Potapova vs S. Williams (8)
S. Johnson vs R. Federer (3)
A. Barty (1) vs L. Tsurenko
J. Struff vs N. Djokovic (2)
Magaret Court Arena
D. Shapovalov (13) vs M. Fucsovics
K Siniakova vs P. Kvitova (7)
V. Williams vs C. Gauff
S. Tsitsipas (6) vs S. Caruso
S. Stephens (24) vs S. Zhang
Melbourne Arena
M. Berrettini (8) vs A. Harris (WC)
K. Ahn vs C. Wozniacki
J. Londero vs G. Dimitrov (18)
S. Stosur vs C. McNally (Q)
1573 Arena
S. Querrey vs B. Coric (25)
R. Opelka vs F. Fognini (12)
M. Keys (10) vs D. Kasatkina
J. Konta (12) vs O. Jabeur
Court 3
M. Trevisan (Q) vs S. Kenin (14)
A. Li (Q) vs L. Cabrera (WC)
J. Thompson vs A . Bublik
J. Millman vs U. Humbert
Court 5
J. Goerges vs V. Kuzmova
K. Kanepi vs B. Krejcikova (Q)
M. Cilic vs C. Moutet
P. Kohlschreiber vs M. Giron
Court 7
C. McHale vs P. Martic (13)
J. Sinner vs M. Purcell (Q)
M. Gasparyan vs M. Sakkari (22)
D. Schwartzman (14) vs L. Harris
Court 8
G. Pella (22) vs J. Smith (WC)
A. Riske (18) vs Y. Wang
M. Polmans (WC) vs M. Kukushkin
K. Juvan (Q) vs D. Yastremska (23)
Court 10
M. Safwat (Q) vs G. Barrere
M. Linette vs A. Rus
A. Davidovich Fokina vs N. Gombos (Q)
Court 11
S. Zheng vs A. Kalinskaya (Q)
C. Garin vs S. Travaglia
L. Mayer vs T. Paul
Court 12
R. Carballes Baena vs R. Berankis
T. Zidansek vs N. Han (WC)
M. Brengle vs C. Garcia
T. Ito (WC) vs P. Gunneswaran (LL)
Court 13
V. Golubic vs L. Zhu
F. Lopez vs R. Bautista Agut (9)
P. Andujar vs M. Mmoh (WC)
B. Pera vs E. Rybakina (29)
Court 14
D. Evans (30) vs M. McDonald
T. Sandgren vs M. Trungelliti (Q)
F. Ferro vs A. Van Uytvanck
A. Sasnovich vs G. Minnen (Q)
Court 15
Y. Nishioka vs L. Djere
K. Edmund vs D. Lajovic (24)
Q. Wang (27) vs P. Parmentier (WC)
N. Hibino (Q) vs S. Peng
Court 19
E. Alexandrova (25) vs J. Teichmann
R. Albot vs M. Raonic (32)
H. Hurkacz (31) vs D. Novak (Q)
P. Hercog vs R. Peterson
Court 22
P. Badosa vs J. Larsson (Q)
S. Cirstea vs B. Strycova (32)
Q. Halys (Q) vs F. Krajinovic
B. Paire (21) vs C. Stebe