Rematch of last year's final, two Americans battling for supremacy: A look at possible women's singles quarterfinal lineup at Australian Open 2025

Australian Open 2025 is set to begin in a few days, and excitement amongst tennis lovers is reaching new heights with every passing day. This year, in the women’s singles category, it will be world number one Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka who will defend her title.

She defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2. It was her second consecutive major title while playing in Melbourne. Like every year, tennis lovers wait to see what kind of lineup the quarterfinal can have in each category, and this year, it will be no different.

In the women’s singles category, a possible last-eight lineup has been shared on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — by famous journalist Jose Morgado, which includes some fascinating clashes.

The last eight stages could see a rematch of last year’s final, with Sabalenka going up against Zheng. The two have faced each other on five occasions, and every time, it was the Minsk-born star who came out on top. Arguably, the most anticipated clash, if the quarterfinal stage goes through as expected, will be between two American players — Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.

Gauff, who won the US Open in 2023 after beating Sabalenka, has had an impressive outing in the Australian Open 2024 and was knocked out at the semifinals stage after losing to the reigning world number one. She is coming into this year’s first Grand Slam as one of the favourites after winning the WTA Finals last year. On the other hand, Pegula hopes to build on her impressive show in the US Open 2024, where she finished as the runner-up after losing to Sabalenka in the final with a score of 7-5, 7-5. The other two quarterfinals lineup is likely to feature the likes of Italy’s Jasmine Paolini going up against one-time Grand Slam winner Elena Rybakina, whereas world number two Iga Swiatek is facing America’s Emma Navarro.