China's Yan claims victory at Snooker Masters

Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins to clinch the Snooker Masters title on Sunday, becoming the youngest Masters champion since a 19-year-old Ronnie O'Sullivan won in 1995.

China's Yan Bingtao poses with the trophy after winning the final with Scotland's John Higgins at Snooker Masters in Milton Keynes, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2021. Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins by 10-8 to clinch the title at the Snooker Masters on Sunday. (Photo by Benjamin Mole/WST/Handout via Xinhua)

China's Yan Bingtao poses with the trophy after winning the final with Scotland's John Higgins at Snooker Masters in Milton Keynes, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2021. Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins by 10-8 to clinch the title at the Snooker Masters on Sunday. (Photo by Benjamin Mole/WST/Handout via Xinhua)

Yan, 20, qualified for the prestigious invitation tournament for the first time with a personal best world ranking of 11. After beating Australia's Neil Robertson, world No. 8 Stephen Maguire and reigning champion Stuart Bingham, he became the youngest Masters finalist since Ding Junhui finished runner-up in 2007.

China's Yan Bingtao poses with the trophy after winning the final with Scotland's John Higgins at Snooker Masters in Milton Keynes, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2021. Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins by 10-8 to clinch the title at the Snooker Masters on Sunday. (Photo by Benjamin Mole/WST/Handout via Xinhua)

Facing four-time world champion Higgins in the final, Yan kept his composure as usual as he came back from 3-5 down to 5-5, then came from 5-7 behind to lead 8-7.

China's Yan Bingtao (L) and his girl friend pose with the trophy after winning the final with Scotland's John Higgins at Snooker Masters in Milton Keynes, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2021. Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins by 10-8 to clinch the title at the Snooker Masters on Sunday. (Photo by Benjamin Mole/WST/Handout via Xinhua)

45-year-old Higgins managed to force a tie at 8-8 by winning the 16th frame, but failed to stop a determined Yan from finishing the job and taking the title with a 10-8 victory.

China's Yan Bingtao poses with the trophy after winning the final with Scotland's John Higgins at Snooker Masters in Milton Keynes, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2021. Chinese debutant Yan Bingtao defeated veteran John Higgins by 10-8 to clinch the title at the Snooker Masters on Sunday. (Photo by Benjamin Mole/WST/Handout via Xinhua)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Get ready for the 2026 Australian Open with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season on TV, who the defending champions are, what the schedule is and more:

Singles play begins next Sunday at 11 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Saturday EST) around the grounds, with the first match in Rod Laver Arena scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Saturday EST).

— In the U.S.: ESPN and Tennis Channel

— Other countries are listed here

Madison Keys of the United States and Jannick Sinner of Italy won the 2025 singles trophies. Keys beat the No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 for her first Grand Slam trophy. Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to successfully defend his title at Melbourne Park.

Sabalenka will be the top-seeded woman and Carlos Alcaraz the top-seeded man. They currently are ranked No. 1, and the tournament seedings usually follow the WTA and ATP rankings.

The Australian Open is played outdoors on hard courts at Melbourne Park, located along the Yarra River near downtown Melbourne. There are retractable roofs at Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. Women play best-of-three-set matches with a first-to-10 tiebreaker at 6-all in the third; men play best-of-five with a tiebreaker at 6-all in the fifth. Like at the U.S. Open and French Open, there are night sessions. The tournament is staged each year around the last two weeks of January, during the school summer holidays Down Under.

The Australian Open is introducing “opening week” where the Melbourne Park precinct will be open to the public from the start of the qualifying tournament, and live music will be staged every night at Grand Slam Oval. Fans can watch open practice sesions in Rod Laver Arena to see some of the sport's biggest names preparing for the first major of the year. Organizers are also expanding the so-called 1 Point Slam in opening week, where 22 professional players and 10 amateurs get the chance to play for 1 million Australian dollars in prize money.

First round of qualifying for the men's and women's singles.

— Jan. 18-19-20: First Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 21-22: Second Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 23-24: Third Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 25-26: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— Jan. 27-28: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— Jan. 29: Women’s Semifinals

— Jan. 30: Men’s Semifinals

— Jan. 31: Women’s Final

— Feb. 1: Men’s Final

— Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka describes the season schedule as “insane.”

— Coco Gauff adds some context on the “worst” fans

— Novak Djokovic is cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association

— Venus Williams gets a wildcard entry for the Australian Open, at age 45

— Carlos Alcaraz ends his 7-year partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero

— The ATP is adding a heat rule like the one the women have had for 30 years

— Nick Kyrgios will do doubles time, but won't play singles at the Australian Open

Australian Open prize money has increased by 16% on last year to a record total in local currency of 111.5 million Australian dollars (US$75 million). That was up from 96.5 million Australian dollars in 2025. The women’s and men’s singles champions will win 4.15 million Australian dollars ($2.8 million), a 19% increase on last year.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus waves to the crowd after winning the women's final match against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3, at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)