The first big tennis tournament of the year is here in the form of the Australian Open 2024, and it truly begins for women's #1 player Iga Świątek on Tuesday, January 16 (or Monday, January 15 if you live in the US) when she plays Sofia Kenin in the first round of the women's singles strand.
US: ESPN Plus
UK: Discovery Plus
AU: 9Now (free)
Watch abroad with a VPN
Świątek comes into the tournament with high expectations: while she won one major last year (the French Open, the nearest to her homeland of Poland), various upsets cost her the other three titles. Still, coming to Australia as the world champ can't hurt.
Going up against her is Sofia Kenin, an American player who's currently ranked 41st in the women's singles rankings. That said, she has something that Świątek doesn't: an Australian Open win, in 2020, which kicked off a cracking year of play. Subsequent injuries and breaks from playing have seen her drop down the rankings from her high of #4.
As first-round games go, then, this could be an incredibly competitive match, as a previous champion goes up against the world's top player. Who could win? Well, upsets are rife in tournaments like this!
If you're keen to watch this Australian Open match, we've got all the details you need below.
How to watch Świątek vs Kenin in the US
The Świątek vs Kenin match takes place on Monday, January 15 in the US, thanks to how the time zones work. It's schedule to take place at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, but remember that games can often be delayed by minutes or hours in tournaments like the Australian Open.
Our top recommendation for catching Świątek vs Kenin and other Australian Open matches would be to use the streaming service ESPN Plus, because this is set to cover every single service and volley of the tournament. According to ESPN, its streaming service "will stream all rounds on all courts live". Simple!
ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for a subscription, but many people sign up via the Disney Bundle which offers it alongside Hulu and Disney Plus for just $12.99 per month.
If you'd rather watch via cable... good luck. The Tennis Channel will be showing some live coverage of various matches throughout the day, but it hasn't announced which. Mostly likely, it'll jump between various courts, so if you want to watch the entirety of Świątek vs Kenin, we can't say with any certainty that you'll be able to.
Still, tennis buffs might want access to the channel. You can do so via a cable subscription or various live TV streaming services: DirecTV offers it in its Choice package for $84.99 per month (or its two higher tiers), Fubo has it in the basic Pro package at $74.99 per month, and Sling TV has it in its Orange package for $40 per month (or its Orange + Blue package which is $55 per month)
How to watch Świątek vs Kenin in the UK
We've got some bad news for British tennis fans; while Świątek vs Kenin is airing in the UK, it's set to take place at 1 am in the early hours of Tuesday, January 16, so it's going to be a late night! And that's if the match isn't pushed back...
To watch Australian Open matches, you'll need to sign up to Discovery Plus, because this offers access to Eurosport which is broadcasting the tennis tournament in the UK. The streamer is showing specific games, and while it hasn't confirmed whether Świątek vs Kenin will be one, we'd imagine the women's world champ would be one it'd want to show. If not, it also has a multi-court stream to cover all the other matches.
You'll need to be on the Standard Discovery Plus plan (as opposed to Basic), which costs £6.99 a month and has no annual counterpart (bolded to emphasize this, since the Basic plan does have an annual plan, but that won't let you watch the tennis).
How to watch Świątek vs Kenin in Australia for free
If you're in Australia, you can watch the Australian Open matches like Świątek vs Kenin for free. This match-up is set to start at midday, though could be subject to delays.
On your TV, you can tune in to Channel 9 to watch its live coverage, while online it's Channel 9's streaming service 9Now which will do the honors. The streamer has live streams of ongoing matches as well as recaps of all the matches that have taken place so far in highlight form.
How to watch Świątek vs Kenin everywhere else
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Świątek vs Kenin, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite sports like the Australian Open or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Everything else you need to know about Świątek vs Kenin
What court is Świątek vs Kenin on?
Świątek vs Kenin will meet at the Australian Open's center court, the biggest at Melbourne Park.
This is called the Rod Laver Arena, named after the former tennis player. It has a capacity of over 14,000, so many of the big-name games for the Australian Open will play there.
What time is Świątek vs Kenin?
At the time of writing, Świątek vs Kenin is set to take place at midday local time in Australia on Tuesday, January 16. That's 1 am in the UK, and 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Monday, January 15.
Grand Slam tennis tournaments can be beset by minor delays, as matches can only take place after the previous one finishes. So don't be surprised if the match is pushed back a little, though it'd take something drastic for it to be delayed until another day.
