Sinner Begins Australian Open Defence With Jarry Clash, Sabalenka Faces Stephens
Jannik Sinner will start his Australian Open title defence in a clash against Nicolas Jarry, while Aryna Sabalenka takes on Sloane Stephens.
Novak Djokovic’s bid for his 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown will see him take on U.S. wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy.
In the third round Djokovic could face Reilly Opelka, who beat the Serb in Brisbane this week, while third seed Carlos Alcaraz is a potential opponent in the quarter-finals.
Spaniard Alcaraz starts his campaign with a clash against Alexander Shevchenko.
World number one Sinner must hit the ground running after being paired with Chilean Jarry, who beat the Italian in their first meeting in 2019 and took him to three sets in a losing effort in Beijing last year.
Women’s second seed Iga Swiatek plays Katerina Siniakova while third seed Coco Gauff faces an early challenge against fellow American Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open champion in 2020.
Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, runner-up last year, meets a qualifier first up and is on a collision course with Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka meets Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their first round encounter last year which the Japanese player lost in straight sets shortly after her return to the tour from a long maternity break.
Alex de Minaur has a difficult opener against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who stunned Alcaraz at last year’s U.S. Open.
The 2025 Australian Open begins from January 12 to 26 in Melbourne. It will be the 113th edition of the tournament.
The tournament total prize money for 2025 increased by 11.56% year on year to a tournament record of $96,500,000.
Sinner Begins Australian Open Defence With Jarry Clash, Sabalenka Faces Stephens is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
