OZ AND THE GOLDEN BRICK ROAD

The men's and women's champions at the Australian Open will collect US$1.86 million for winning the season's opening Grand Slam event.

Australian Open organizers announced the increased prize money for the Jan. 18-31 tournament on Tuesday, with the total for the tournament increasing by 4.1 per cent to $21.4 million.

The Australian Open has offered equal prize money for the men's and women's draws since 2001, when the total prize pool was $7.5 million and the champions received $450,000.