Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all in action in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, which also sees teenage sensation Coco Gauff facing Venus Williams.
Osaka, the defending champion, has the honor of opening the play at the Rod Laver Arena—the tournament's center court—when she takes on Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic at 11 a.m. local time on Monday (7 p.m. ET on Sunday).
Williams and Federer, who begin their quest for an eighth and seventh Australian Open title respectively, are both in action in the next two games at the Rod Laver Arena.
The former faces Russia's Anastasia Potapova, while the latter takes on Steve Johnson of the U.S.
Federer, the world No. 3, also defended his stance on players' health in the wake of the Australian wildfires, suggesting he had done all he could to make the players' voices heard.
Australia has been ravaged by bushfires since September, with over 10.3 million hectares of land destroyed and at least 28 people and an estimated half a billion animals killed.
The blazes have also impacted air quality, which has reached dangerous levels in Melbourne and Sydney and surrounding areas at different stages over the last couple of months.
A number of players struggled to breathe during the qualifying rounds in Melbourne and the quality of air remains a major concern, even though organizers have sought to reassure the tournament will go ahead without major disruptions.
"What can I do? I can go to the office, speak to them [the organizers]," Federer said on Saturday.
"I went to them the first day when it was bad on Tuesday, the next day on Wednesday when it was still bad.
"Can I go on court and say, Everybody stop play? I can try. I don't think that's going to do much."
Meanwhile, Djokovic's bid to defend the title he won 12 months will begin on the same court in the evening, with the Serb due at the Rod Laver Arena following the end of the match between local hero and world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
Djokovic's first opponent is Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, the world No. 37.
Here's everything you need to know to keep up with first-round action.
First round start time
The first round of the Australian Open gets underway at 11 a.m. local time on Monday morning. However, because of the 16-hour difference between Melbourne and the east coast of the U.S., that means the tournament will effectively get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday evening.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka kicks off proceedings at the Rod Laver Arena against Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, with a total of 16 matches scheduled across the various courts.
TV channel
The Australian Open is broadcast exclusively across ESPN channels, with ESPN2 carrying the bulk of the tournament. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday and runs until 7 a.m. on Monday.
Live stream
Fans can watch the action online via the WatchESPN app and on ESPN.com.
First round full schedule
Serena Williams and Roger Federer are both in action at the Rod Laver Arena on Monday, with their games following Naomi Osaka's tie against Marie Bouzkova.
Williams begins her quest for an eighth Australian Open title when she takes on Russia's Anastasia Potapova, while Federer faces Steve Johnson of the U.S.
The match between Venus Williams and Coco Gauff is the highlight of the morning session at the Margaret Court Arena, which also includes No. 7 seed Petra Kvitova.
Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki begins her last ever tournament during the morning session an the Melbourne Arena, while Sam Querrey and Madison Keys will fly the U.S. flag at the 1573 Arena.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty opens the night session at the Rod Laver Arena against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, followed by Novak Djokovic facing Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas kicks off proceedings in the night session at the Margaret Court Arena when he faces Italy's Salvatore Caruso, before Sloane Stephens of the U.S. plays China's Shuai Zhang.
The complete first round schedule can be found here.
Australian Open odds
According to Oddschecker, Novak Djokovic is a 6/5 favorite to defend the title he won 12 months ago, followed by world No. 1 Rafael Nadal at 5/1. Behind the duo, Russia's Daniil Medvedev and Roger Federer are 9/1 and 12/1 shots respectively.
Among the women, meanwhile, Serena Williams is a 17/4 favorite to add an eighth Australian Open crown to her trophy cabinet, followed by world No. 1 and local favorite Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Naomi Osaka at 8/1.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
