Orange Bay Sports at the 2026 Australian Open: Vitality, Innovation, and Chinese Power
From January 12 to February 1, 2026, the first tennis Grand Slam of the year—the Australian Open—was held in Melbourne. The Orange Bay Sports team flew over 10 hours from China to Australia to experience the vitality, innovation, and Chinese power of the Australian Open firsthand.
This year's Australian Open attracted a total of 1.37 million on-site spectators, setting a Grand Slam historical record.
1. Impressions of Melbourne
The Australian Open venue Melbourne Park is located in the city center, easily accessible by public transport such as the iconic trams, and just a 15-minute walk from the central CBD. The park is adjacent to the Yarra River (Birrarung) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, offering a beautiful environment. We arrived during the Australian summer, with pleasant temperatures and sunny skies.
Each of the four tennis Grand Slams has its own "character." We felt that the Australian Open's character is similar to Wimbledon's but more vibrant: the atmosphere is relaxed and warm yet passionate, maintaining order and restraint amidst the liveliness. This perfect balance provides an excellent experience for spectators.
On January 17, the Orange Bay Sports team was invited to watch the Australian Open opening ceremony. The most significant part of the ceremony was Roger Federer's appearance. He played a doubles exhibition match with three former world No. 1s: Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and Pat Rafter. This was his first return to the Australian Open since retiring in 2022.
2. Chinese Audience at the Australian Open
The Australian Open coincides with the eve of the Chinese New Year, attracting a large number of Chinese fans—in fact, China and the United States are the largest sources of overseas spectators at the Australian Open.
Inside the venue, we saw many young Chinese tennis audience. They showed great enthusiasm and engagement with tennis, maintaining good spectator etiquette by supporting their own players while also applauding good shots from opponents.
3. Tennis Stars at the Australian Open
On the practice courts, we saw this year's women's singles champion Elena Rybakina training hard. She and her coach were meticulous, focusing on details, demonstrating great professionalism—10 days later, she lifted her first Australian Open trophy on Rod Laver Arena.
Wang Xinyu was undoubtedly the player most followed by Chinese spectators. At this Australian Open, we watched three of her matches, each with a packed crowd. Wang Xinyu showed significant improvement in both technique and mentality, achieving a personal best of reaching the round of 16. After the match, she said she was "very satisfied" with her performance at the Australian Open!
After defeating Noskova to reach the round of 16, Wang Xinyu wrote "My first ever message" on the camera lens.
4. Brands at the Australian Open
In terms of fashion and sports brands, near Rod Laver Arena, Ralph Lauren and New Balance each opened a store, both with long queues. This year marks the 6th consecutive year that Ralph Lauren RLX has been the official clothing sponsor of the Australian Open. The clothing and sunglasses of all on-site staff, including the main umpire and ball kids, come from this brand.
New Balance's two-story store features a VIP room on the second floor, reserved for VIP customers to rest or host player events. The Australian Open "battle suit" worn by their signed star Coco Gauff was designed by herself, stylish and eye-catching.
Among Chinese brands, Luzhou Laojiao, Haier, Luckin Coffee, and Didi Chuxing were all sponsors of the tournament. Luzhou Laojiao had a higher sponsorship level, joining ANZ Bank, Emirates, and Rolex as "Associate Partners."
This year marks the eighth year of cooperation between Luzhou Laojiao and the Australian Open. Luzhou Laojiao has a named court at the Australian Open: 1573 Arena. In 2024, based on their deep collaboration, Luzhou Laojiao brought the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff to Chengdu.
In addition, industry giants such as Mastercard and Marriott Hotels were also among the Australian Open sponsors. Rolex opened a very private VIP room at the Australian Open; main sponsor KIA, besides naming KIA Arena, also held global promotional events there...
At this Australian Open, Alcaraz collapsed to the ground exhausted after the "longest semifinal in history" against Zverev. This photo instantly went viral on social media, and the Rolex in the frame was equally eye-catching. Two days later, Alcaraz lifted the men's singles trophy, becoming the youngest player to achieve a "Career Grand Slam."
In such a top-tier sports competition scene, brand integration is very natural. In the future, we believe more Chinese brands will participate in the four Grand Slams and Chinese tennis events.
5. Next Stop: French Open
The three-week Australian Open tournament has been very rewarding for us. Orange Bay Sports will continue to follow and report on the Australian Open, bringing unique and fresh content.
This May, Orange Bay Sports plans to go deep into the French Open, experiencing another tournament "character" on the clay courts of Roland Garros in Paris—a Grand Slam held in the fashion capital will surely let us feel a different charm of tennis.
｜Image sources: Australian Open official website, official Facebook, brand and player official accounts