The draw for the Australian Open has been revealed, with the likes of Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner discovering their first-round fates and potential path to the final.
The first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne on Sunday and runs for two weeks, concluding with the men's singles final on January 26, where world number one Sinner will endeavour to defend his title.
The top seed has not been handed the simplest first-round tie, as he will be pitting his wits against Chile's Nicolas Jarry, who reached a career-high ranking of world number 16 during the 2024 season.
On the other side of the men's draw, Djokovic - vying to win an unprecedented 25th major singles title - has been given what should be a far more straightforward first-round match against 19-year-old American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy.
Defending women's singles champion Aryna Sabalenka begins her bid for an Australian Open three-peat against Sloane Stephens of the USA, which could precede a second-round battle with Great Britain's Sonay Kartal.
Who will Raducanu, Jack Draper and other Britons face at Australian Open?
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Kartal, who won her maiden WTA Tour title at the Jasmin Open in September, could earn a date with Sabalenka if she overcomes Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro first up, but Raducanu will have to overcome a more formidable foe on paper to make it to round two.
The 2021 US Open champion has been drawn to face 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in her opening contest, and she is also on a potential collision course to meet second seed Iga Swiatek in round three.
Raducanu and Kartal are two of four British players competing in the women's singles tournament, where national number one Katie Boulter - the 22nd seed - meets Canada's Rebecca Marino in her opener.
Jodie Burrage enters the main draw with a protected ranking after missing a large chunk of the 2024 season with a wrist injury, and the 25-year-old will face off with a qualifier or lucky loser first up.
If Burrage comes through that match, which would represent her first-ever victory in the Australian Open main draw, her reward could be a daunting second-round showdown with third seed Coco Gauff.
Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley will fly the flag high for GB in the men's singles, and the latter is involved in one of the headline first-round matches, as he has been drawn to face the returning Nick Kyrgios in the Australian's first Grand Slam singles appearance since 2022.
Fifteenth seed Draper meets Mariano Navone in his opening battle, and Norrie - who could take on Sinner in round four - begins his run against the Italian Matteo Berrettini.
What are the other standout matches at the Australian Open?
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Elsewhere in the men's draw, second seed Alexander Zverev faces French wildcard Lucas Pouille, while Carlos Alcaraz will have to sink Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko for a second-round place.
The aforementioned Gauff is scheduled to face compatriot and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in the first round, and in the same section of the draw, Naomi Osaka meets Caroline Garcia in an early heavyweight contest.
Swiatek's first opponent will be Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, while Jasmine Paolini and 2024 runner-up Zheng Qinwen both meet qualifiers or lucky losers first up.
Ben Knapton
