Top-8 WTA seeds for the Australian Open are defined: Sabalenka and Swiatek can only meet in a potential final

Friday, 03 January 2025 at 03:30

On Monday, the 32 seeded players for the upcoming Australian Open will be decided, and the coveted spots among the top-8 have now been finalized. Daria Kasatkina’s defeat secured the top-8 spots, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek leading the field, while Emma Navarro closed the list.

The top-seeded positions are highly sought after as they allow the best players to avoid tough opponents in the early rounds. Gradually, the draw for the first Grand Slam of the year is taking shape, with Sabalenka as the top favorite to defend her titles from 2023 and 2024.

Sabalenka and Swiatek lead top-8 seeds for Australian Open

The seeding order always plays a significant role in tournament draws, especially in Grand Slams, where the top players can avoid facing each other until the later rounds. There are 32 players that earn seeded positions, but the top-8 are the most desired.

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The first week of competition had clear implications for the next Australian Open draw, where, for example, Daria Kasatkina had the chance to move Emma Navarro out of the top eight. However, her loss to Polina Kudermetova ended all hopes for her privileged position.

At the top are Aryna Sabalenka (1st) and Iga Swiatek, who will be placed on opposite sides of the draw, meaning they can only meet in a potential final. Additionally, they will avoid facing Coco Gauff (3rd) and Jasmine Paolini (4th) until a possible semifinal clash.

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Zheng Qinwen (5th) and Aryna Sabalenka (1st) after 2024 Australian Open final.

The following positions include Zheng Qinwen (5th), Elena Rybakina (6th), Jessica Pegula (7th), and Emma Navarro (8th), who can celebrate the win of the younger Kudermetova sister, as it will prevent her from facing a top player until the quarterfinals. Each of the 5th- to 8th-seeded players will have a potential matchup against a top-4 player in the quarterfinals, assuming they fulfill their favorites' role.

Although there are still some top-32 players competing, there may be few changes. For instance, Mirra Andreeva is currently ranked 15th in the live rankings, but even if she wins the Brisbane International title, where she awaits the quarterfinals, she would only reach the 12th seed, meaning no significant changes, as she would still face a top-8 player in an eventual 4th round.

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On the other hand, some players were still in the race for a privileged position. The only one who could still make a breakthrough is Ons Jabeur, currently ranked world No. 42. However, if she wins the title, she would reach No. 32, knocking Maria Sakkari, who currently holds the last seeded position.

For now, 31 seeds are defined, with the last one to be determined between the Greek and the Tunisian. The player who secures that spot will avoid any potential matchups with a top-16 player in the first two rounds, while the one who misses out risks drawing a tough opponent like Swiatek, Sabalenka, or Gauff in the first round.