First-Round Prize Money in Tennis

First-round losers in professional tennis can earn anything from a six-figure cheque at a Grand Slam to a few hundred dollars at an ITF event. The headline number only makes sense next to the qualifying rounds and the costs players carry themselves.

The Grand Slams

At the Majors, losing in the opening round is well paid. According to the tournaments' prize-money releases as reported by the WTA, a first-round loss in singles was worth $150,000 at the 2026 Australian Open, €87,000 at the 2026 Roland Garros and $190,000 at the 2026 US Open.

Qualifying pays too. At Roland Garros 2026 the three qualifying rounds were worth €24,000, €33,000 and €48,000, and at the Australian Open a player who lost in the final round of qualifying took home $83,500. For a lower-ranked player, reaching the main draw of a Slam is often worth more than a whole season of smaller tournaments.

Tour events and the ITF level

Below the Slams, money falls quickly with the tier of the event. WTA 1000 and ATP Masters 1000 events pay first-round losers far more than WTA 250 or ATP 250 events, and the exact breakdown is published for each tournament and season.

At the ITF World Tennis Tour, the entry level of professional tennis, events are graded by total prize money, such as the M15 and W15 categories at $15,000. The ITF regulations show qualifying players at these events earning very small sums, and a first-round loser in the main draw takes home a few hundred dollars. Those figures are before tax, travel, accommodation, coaching and stringing, which players pay themselves.

Where to find the exact table

Prize money is set by each tournament and changes every year. For the Grand Slams, the tournament's official site publishes the full breakdown before the event; wtatennis.com and atptour.com summarise it. For ITF events, the World Tennis Tour regulations for the current season list the prize-money scale by category. When you read a figure, always check which year and which draw — singles, doubles or qualifying — it refers to.