The Fortnite Champions Series is an online tournament, with the regional competition for Oceania scheduled to run over five weekends until March 14.

"We're excited to continue to expand our competitive gaming offerings with the broadcast of the Fortnite Champions Series Oceania region, starting this weekend," said Tennis Australia senior gaming producer Mark Riedy.

"Each year we look for ways to make the Australian Open bigger with new opportunities to reach new audiences with our event broadcasts, and it's a perfect opportunity to connect with new fans and expand our global reach through one of the fastest growing games in the world."

Fortnite is one of the most popular video games in the world, with more than 350 million accounts open worldwide. 

Commentators and experts including Aussie Antics, MonsterDFace, Coach Timmy, Falloutt and Vandie will support Tennis Australia's coverage.

"Fortnite continues to evolve as a platform that intersects gaming, sport and entertainment," said Nate Nanzer, head of global partnerships for Epic Games, creator of Fortnite.

"We have built a strong relationship with the Australian Open through our previous Fortnite Summer Smash events and will be running the Fortnite Champion Series in Australia alongside six other regions around the world."

Epic Games and the Australian Open started their partnership in 2019, with the inaugural AO Summer Smash, then the largest competitive gaming event seen in Australia.

In 2020, the Summer Smash featured competitors from 11 countries.

Fortnite Champions Series Oceania qualifiers are set to take place today, February 21 and February 28.

Semi-finals are scheduled for March 7 and the final on March 14.