Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who eyes a historic three peat on the Melbourne Park this 12 months, has been handed a difficult draw on the 2025 Australian Open, the place she may face Zheng Qinwen of China in a rematch of the 2024 summit conflict. Former US Open winner Coco Gauff, alternatively might be up towards fellow American and 2022 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in spherical one.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Zheng Qinwen of China within the 2024 girls’s singles closing on the Australian Open(AP)
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka kicked off the official draw ceremony on Thursday at Melbourne Park, together with defending males’s champion, Jannik Sinner. The World No.1, who for the primary time in her profession is the top-seeded participant at a Slam, might be aiming to develop into the primary lady to win three straight singles titles Down Below since Martina Hingis in 1997-99.
“To be back here, and to walk here with this beautiful trophy as the two-time defending champion is definitely something special,” Sabalenka stated. “I really hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
“Putting your name into history and being next to those legends, it’s something special,” she added. “[Winning three in a row] would be huge, but I have to focus on myself … bring my best tennis every time I’m out there, and put my name next to those legends.”
However the Belarusian must negate a troublesome begin in Melbourne, the place she has been drawn towards 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens within the opening spherical. She may face No. 14 seed Mira Andreeva within the pre-quarters, earlier than probably taking over No.5 seed Zheng Qinwen within the quarterfinals in a rematch of final 12 months’s championship. Sabalenka has additionally has Gauff in the identical half of the draw, implying a blockbuster semifinal conflict in on the playing cards.
The American too has been handed a troublesome draw. She has two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka, who will face France’s Caroline Garcia within the first spherical in for the second 12 months in a row in Melbourne, in her quarter. The winner of that mouthwatering conflict will face No.20 seed Karolina Muchova in Spherical 2, with No.16 seed Jelena Ostapenko probably ready for Gauff within the final 16.
Within the different half of the draw, No.2 seed Iga Swiatek, whose greatest lead to Melbourne got here in 2022 with a run to the semifinal, will start her marketing campaign towards Katerina Siniakova, and will face No.8 seed Emma Navarro within the quarters. In the meantime, No.6 seed Elena Rybakina has America’s Danielle Collins probably ready in spherical 4, earlier than organising a potential conflict towards No.4 seed Jasmine Paolini.