Sabalenka gets handy Australian Open draw, Osaka plays Garcia first round
The women’s 2024 Australian Open draw sees Aryna Sabalenka with the most favourable quarter, and Carolina Garcia facing Naomi Osaka in the first round
Aryna Sabalenka – Australia 2024 © Tennis Australia
The women’s draw for the 2024 Australian Open has been announced, with plenty of mouth-watering first round matches to come in the opening days of the tournament.
Of the top seeds, Aryna Sabalenka has arguably the most straight-forward quarter, with none of the big unseeded names lurking in her section. The defending champion will open against a qualifier or lucky loser, and has little to worry about until Ons Jabeur in the quarter-finals.
Sabalenka’s quiet quarter means sparks will fly in other areas of the draw, with world No 3 Elena Rybakina unlucky to be drawn in the same quarter as world No 5 Jessica Pegula, meaning a potential quarter-final clash between the two. Perhaps the most sparks, however, will fly in the first round clash between two-time former champion Naomi Osaka and No 16 seed Caroline Garcia, who has been ranked as high as No 4 recently, having made the US Open semi-finals in 2022.
Read on as we breakdown the women’s Australian Open draw for 2024, looking at Swiatek and Sabalenka’s paths to the final, and match ups to watch for early on in the tournament.
Swiatek’s quarter
Swiatek will need to be on her game from day one of the Australian Open, as she comes up against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in her first match.
- First round: Kenin
- Second round: Collins / Kerber
- Third round: Bouzkova
- Round of 16: Svitolina / Kedermetova
- Quarter-final: Ostapenko / Vondrousova
- Semi-final: Rybakina / Pegula
- Final: Sabalenka / Gauff
Sabalenka’s quarter
Sabalenka will be pleased with her draw, starting with what should be several straight forward matches. She’ll need her energy for later in the tournament, where Coco Gauff potentially lurks in a semi-final.
- First round: Qualifier/lucky loser
- Second round: Bogdan / qualifier
- Third round: Tsurenko / Sasnovich
- Round of 16: Samsonova / Badosa
- Quarter-final: Jabeur / Krejcikova
- Semi-final: Gauff / Sakkari
- Final: Swiatek / Rybakina
Big first round matches
Naomi Osaka v Carolina Garcia: (16) Neither of these two will be happy to see this clash in the draw, with Osaka looking to play her way back from having her first child, and Garcia one of the most mercurial players on the WTA Tour. There’s every chance it will deliver for fans, however, with plenty of entertainment on offer.
Elena Rybakina (3) v Karolina Pliskova: World No 3 Rybakina has begun the year in hot form, claiming the title in Brisbane last week. She’ll need all the form she can get, coming up against a two-time Grand Slam finalist and former world No 1 in the opening round.
Iga Swiatek (1) v Sofia Kenin: Swiatek will be a heavy favourite in this one, but she won’t be able to let her guard down against the 2020 Australian Open champion, who knows how to pull off an upset.
Match ups to watch out for in the first week
Ons Jabeur (6) v Mirra Andreeva: Providing both win their opening matches, Jabeur will take on Andreeva in a mouth-watering round two clash. Jabeur is one of the most dynamic, likable players in the WTA’s top 10, while 16-year-old Andreeva burst onto the scene last year and has proven to be a tough beat with her youthful confidence.
Coco Gauff (4) v Leylah Fernandez: There’s a little water to go under the bridge first, but the middle weekend of the Australian Open could see young stars Gauff and Fernandez square off in the third round. With both having a big following and playing an exciting brand of tennis, this would be a block-busting encounter.
