The Australian Open has revealed the women’s singles main draw, headlined by Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff. The first Grand Slam of the year will take place from January 12 to 25.
Sabalenka will face a former Grand Slam champion in the first round: American Sloane Stephens. The two-time defending champion may encounter rising stars Linda Noskova in the third round or Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round.
In the same quarter, Zheng Qinwen is matched against a qualifier and seems to have a relatively smooth path in the early rounds. Donna Vekic and Diana Shnaider appear as potential third-round opponents, with the possibility of a quarterfinal clash with Sabalenka.
One of the most intriguing first-round matches will see Coco Gauff take on 2020 Aussie Open champion Sofia Kenin. In the same section, two-time champion Naomi Osaka will face Caroline Garcia, marking a repeat of their first-round meeting from last year. Additionally, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko will square off against Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Belinda Bencic.
Elena Rybakina will face a catchy first-round duel against rising Aussie star Emerson Jones. Madison Keys and Danielle Collins are also in this section, with Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina, and Beatriz Haddad Maia as potential quarterfinal opponents.
In the bottom part of the draw, notable matchups include an all-American clash between Emma Navarro and Peyton Stearns, Emma Raducanu against Ekaterina Alexandrova, and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek versus Katerina Siniakova.