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Australian Open – Melbourne Coco Gauff USA during her third match round at the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on January 25, 2026. Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ABACAPRESS.COM Melbourne Australia PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxUK Copyright: xDubreuilxCorinne/ABACAx

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Australian Open – Melbourne Coco Gauff USA during her third match round at the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, on January 25, 2026. Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ABACAPRESS.COM Melbourne Australia PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxUK Copyright: xDubreuilxCorinne/ABACAx
It took Elina Svitolina just 59 minutes to deliver a ruthless 6-1, 6-2 win over world No. 3 Coco Gauff on Tuesday night. The Ukrainian was flawless from start to finish, improving to 10-0 on the year and booking her spot in the Australian Open semifinals for the first time, where she’ll face Aryna Sabalenka. For Gauff, it was a tough ending to a tournament she’s been dreaming of winning since 2020.
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The frustration showed. At one point, Gauff even smashed her racket, but she was quick to shut down any talk of equipment being the problem. “I don’t think that’s the reason why I lost today. I’m not picky with the rackets,” she said. Now, as the dust slowly settles on her Australian Open run, it’s worth taking a closer look at what this campaign brought her – in both prize money and ranking points.
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What was the prize money structure at the Australian Open 2026?
For those who may not remember, the total prize pool at the 2026 Australian Open hit a massive AUD $111.5 million, up nearly 16 percent from 2025, marking the biggest increase in the tournament’s history.
Prize money went up across every round, with the men’s and women’s singles champions each set to earn AUD $4.15 million (about US$2.79 million). That’s a 19 percent jump from last year’s A$3.5 million and a staggering rise of more than 192 percent compared to what champions earned a decade ago in 2017.
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And it’s not just the champions who benefited. Early-round players also saw meaningful boosts.
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First-round qualifiers earned $150,000. Players who reached the second round took home $225,000. Quarterfinalists earned $750,000, while semifinalists will receive $1,250,000, up 13.64 percent. The singles champions will collect $4,150,000, while the runner-up will earn $2,150,000.

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TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN, A general view of spectators court side at 1573 arena on day 1 of the 2026 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Sunday, January 18, 2026. NO ARCHIVING MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxAUSxNZLxPNGxFIJxVANxSOLxTGA Copyright: xJOELxCARRETTx 20260118176202271707
“This 16 percent increase demonstrates our commitment to supporting tennis careers at every level,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said, underlining the push to spread the rewards more evenly across the draw.
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How are ranking points awarded at the Australian Open?
At the Happy Slam, ranking points are another huge part of what players are fighting for, and while the numbers are similar, there are a few differences between the men’s and women’s draws.
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The biggest reward is the same for both: the champions walk away with a massive 2,000 ranking points. The finalists don’t leave empty-handed either, with both runners-up earning 1,300 points for their runs in Melbourne. After that it differs.
Men’s singles semifinalists earn 800 points, while women’s semifinalists collect 780 points. At the quarterfinal stage, it’s 400 points on the men’s side and 430 points in the women’s draw – small gaps, but ones that can matter a lot when rankings are tight.
By the time players reach the fourth round, the men take home 200 points, while the women earn 240. A third-round finish is worth 100 points in the men’s draw and 130 in the women’s. Even getting through to the second round brings a boost, with 50 points on offer for men and 70 for women.
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And for those who make the main draw but bow out early, there’s still something to show for it. In both men’s and women’s singles, a first-round appearance earns 10 ranking points. Every round counts, and over the course of a season, these points can make all the difference.
How much prize money did Coco Gauff earn after her quarterfinal exit?
By reaching the quarterfinal stage, while Elina Svitolina has already guaranteed herself at least A$1,250,000 in prize money, Coco Gauff will walk away with A$750,000 (roughly US$518,550) for her run in Melbourne.
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That figure is up from the A$665,000 Gauff and the other quarterfinalists earned in 2025, another sign of how the Australian Open’s prize money offerings are growing year after year.
How many ranking points did Coco Gauff receive for reaching the quarterfinals?
For the second year in a row, Coco Gauff’s Australian Open run has ended in the quarterfinals, after she lost last year to Paula Badosa at Rod Laver Arena. And the loss came at a heavy price.
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2WEN3DN Melbourne Park, Australia. January 25, 2024, Cori Coco Gauff during the Australian Open AO 2024 Grand Slam tennis tournament on January 25, 2024 at Melbourne Park, Australia. Photo Victor Joly / DPPI
This time, the 21-year-old picks up 430 ranking points, matching exactly what she earned in 2025, which means she’ll stay on 6,423 points in the WTA standings after the tournament. Elina Svitolina, meanwhile, collects 780 points from her run, a result that’s set to push her back into the top 10 once the rankings update, though it’s likely that Gauff will slip at least one spot as the tournament progresses.
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How does the quarterfinal exit & points affect Coco Gauff’s 2026 season?
Right now, Coco Gauff has slipped one spot to No. 4 in the WTA Live Rankings, with Amanda Anisimova jumping ahead of her, and Anisimova hasn’t even played her quarterfinal yet. She currently sits on 6,680 points and, if things stay as they are, is on track to climb back to her career-high ranking of world No. 3.
There’s also more movement still possible. World No. 5 Elena Rybakina and world No. 6 Jessica Pegula could both pass Coco Gauff as well if either of them reaches the final. However, since they’re in the same half of the draw, only one of them can make that kind of run, meaning only one has the chance to move ahead.
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