Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are among the WTA stars taking on this year’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
Melbourne Park plays host to the Australian Open, a tournament that American star Madison Keys won in 2025.
She beat Sabalenka in the final last time out, with the Belarusian having won the title in each of the two years prior.
Gauff meanwhile beat Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open final, but the WTA superstar has never made it past the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff learns potential route to the Australian Open final
World number three Gauff now has the chance to make up for that at this year’s Australian Open, where she is the third seed.
The draw has now been confirmed for the tournament, with two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff starting out against Kamilla Rakhimova.
Should she prevail, the 21-year-old could face either Olga Danilovic or a mouth-watering tie against Venus Williams.
Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova represents a potential third round opponent, with Karolina Muchova or Emma Navarro possibly up after that.
At the quarterfinal stage, Gauff could meet Mirra Andreeva or Elina Svitolina, with a formidable semifinal clash with Sabalenka a possibility.
And should the talented American make the final in Melbourne, she could be reunited with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
How far do you think Coco Gauff will go with this draw?
Two-time champion and WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open draw
As for world number one and two-time champion Sabalenka, she will start out against Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova could be her second round opponent, followed by Emma Raducanu or Anastasia Potapova in round three.
Young talents Victoria Mboko and Clara Tauson represent potential fourth round ties, while Sabalenka could meet Jasmine Paolini or Ekaterina Alexandrova after that.
Andreeva is a potential semifinal opponent alongside Gauff, while she could meet Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova or Elena Rybakina in the final.
What do you think of Aryna Sabalenka’s draw?
It certainly isn’t straightforward for Sabalenka, although her history at the event and overall form in Australia speak for themselves.
She enters the tournament in fantastic form, with Sabalenka having won the Brisbane International earlier this month for her 22nd career title.
The Belarusian didn’t drop a set at the tournament, while she’s now remarkably won 38 of her last 40 matches in Australia.
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