Australian Open 2016 live streaming: How to watch Week 1 online

The opening week of the 2016 Australian Open will see the first few rounds of play, and seeing which top seeds are still standing when the Round of 16 gets underway should be exciting. Players like Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are playing outstanding tennis of late, though there are some interesting storylines.

Nadal, for one, lost to Djokovic in the finals at Qatar already this year. Williams has retired from a match already due to injuries earlier in the month as well. Williams insists that there are no real injury concerns with her, but it’s definitely something to pay attention to. In her opening round match, she will be taking on Camila Giorgi. Djokovic is set to take on Hyeon Chung in his opening round match.

The most exciting match in the first round could be the one between Nadal and fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Inconsistent play has plagued Verdasco over the years, preventing him from being seeded this time around, but he knows Nadal so well and the two typically combine for incredible matches. The upset is always possible.

Television coverage of the first week will be carried by both ESPN 2 and the Tennis Channel. For the most part, coverage picks up between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET, with the Tennis Channel carrying early coverage and ESPN 2 taking the bigger matches. The first matches get underway at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17 on ESPN 2 and will run through 7 a.m. the following morning.

Live streaming of the full tournament will be available at Watch ESPN and Tennis Channel Live. You can find a schedule of play at the official website here.