ATP and WTA PREVIEW | 2024 Adelaide International as Elena RYBAKINA, Jessica PEGULA and Tommy PAUL leading lights in final Australian Open warm-up

With the new season well underway, the 2024 Adelaide International is the next stop and the big one for the next week on the road to the 2024 Australian Open. Taking place between January 8-13, it features a solid WTA field and some top ATP names aiming to seal the final title before Grand Slam action begins.

Currently, as of time of writing, Elena Rybakina is slated to play in Adelaide after winning Brisbane, but it is unsure whether she will make the trip to play three tournaments in a row with the Australian Open so close. If she doesn't play, Jessica Pegula will be the top name involved in the WTA Draw. Men's is led by American ace Tommy Paul.

After thumping Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2024 Brisbane International, the onus now will be on Rybakina to repeat the feat after not dropping a set all week and returning to World Number Three.

The so-called WTA Big Three are all together again and ahead of the next week, she is in the best place out of any of the top players ahead of the Australian Open. Will that continue if she plays Adelaide?

She will have competition this week from Jessica Pegula who would step into the breach as top seed if Rybakina doesn't play. It could be Paula Badosa though in the second round for the American who has a bye through the first round. Playing United Cup but failing to deliver, it has not been an ideal start to Pegula, but it will be back to normal tour action for WTA's Most Consistent Performer to try and deliver a first title of the season.

Others involved include Marketa Vondrousova, Beatriz Haddad Maia who could face Karolina Pliskova, Barbora Krejcikova who could take on Daria Kasatkina. Another part of Germany's winning team was Laura Siegemund and she could face Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. Comprising of two tournaments last year, it was Aryna Sabalenka crowned as champion in the opening week of the season.

In the men's field, it is Tommy Paul who will lead the way. There are two ATP tournaments this next week with ASB Classic seeing Ben Shelton leading the field. But it is another American leading the way in Adelaide. He is joined by Nicolas Jarry, Sebastian Korda, Lorenzo Musetti among others. Not the strongest field given that the Australian Open is the week after, but it should be competitive similar to Auckland with many of the top seeds having a similar rank. But all eyes will be on the WTA field over the next week for sure.

Soon-woo Kwon was the champion last year during the formerly known as Adelaide International 2 and will be an ATP 250 tournament compared to WTA 500 for the women.