The Australian Open, headlined by defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, will kick off action this weekend featuring box office first-round matches. The usual suspects will battle for supremacy while the Next Gen aims to leave their mark Down Under.
Men’s Singles Draw - First Rounders to Watch
Next Gen ATP Finals reigning champion Joao Fonseca set up a first-round thriller against ninth seed Andrey Rublev; the Brazilian player qualified for the Australian Open main draw for the first time.
Continuing to build on the impressive form that led the 18-year-old to lift the trophy in Jeddah, the rising star won all three qualifying matches at Melbourne Park without dropping a set to notch a spot in the main draw of a major for the first time in his young career.
Rublev, a 16-time ATP titlist, and Fonseca have never played one another before at tour level.
An all-French duel between legendary Gael Monfils and big server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard promises to take the game to another level.
Monfils, 38, will play in the ASB Classic semifinals today in Auckland; whether he makes it through the final or not, the experienced Frenchman has already shown he is starting the new season fit, delivering top-class tennis at the ATP 250 event.
He outlasted his opponents with his tricky shots, powerful serve, and forehand while moving well on the court in the build-up to his 19th appearance in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Perricard overall game and serve style led him to a breakthrough season for the 21-year-old. He began 2024 ranked at world No. 205 and finished on a high note at No. 31.
Following last week’s singles run at Brisbane International - lost in the semifinals to resurgent Reilly Opelka - he matched his career-high at world No. 30.
World No. 1 Sinner, defending a major title for the first time, landed on Australian soil on a 14-match winning streak.
The top seed will kickstart his title defense against heavy-striking Nicolas Jarry, who lost to Czech pair Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka, playing the doubles semifinals at Brisbane International alongside Perricard last weekend.
A potential quarterfinal clash against home hero Alex de Minaur is on the 23-year-old Italian path to retain the crown.
Chasing a record-extending 11th AO trophy, Novak Djokovic is back in Australia with Sir Andy Murray as his coach to compete at his 20th Australian Open.
The 24-time Slam winner will launch his campaign by squaring off against 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy, who will play Monfils in the Auckland semifinals.
The world No. 133 defeated countryman Alex Michelsen at the ASB Classic tournament, becoming the youngest American to progress into a tour-level semifinal on hard courts since 2016.
“It means a lot. This is one of my first ATP Tour events, and to make a deep run gives me a lot of confidence going forward,” said the teenager who won his first match on Tour at the Next Gen Finals.
On a further note, No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz could become the youngest man in tennis history to win all four major singles titles if he achieves the career Grand Slam in Australia.
En route to the title, the Spaniard is on a quarterfinal collision course with Djokovic and could face off against Sinner in the final.
In his opening round, the third seed will meet world No. 72 Alexander Shevchenko, fresh from an impressive run at the United Cup representing Team Kazakhstan.
The AO runs from January 12-26th at Melbourne Park.