Australian Open begins January 12 in Melbourne, and the draws for the men’s and women’s singles are intriguing — and have thrown up some blockbuster first-round matches. The Athletic’s tennis writers,

Coco Gauff has made improvements to her serving and her forehand. And the strides in both of those areas are among the reasons she's considered one of the few women ready to challenge two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at the Australian Open.

The draw has been made for the 2025 Australian Open, and the biggest names in the field have tough tests on the road to Melbourne Park glory.

- Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Zheng Qinwen of China during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday,

T he first Grand Slam tournament of the year is already here, with the Australian Open 2025 marking its commencement in Melbourne Park. Although the qualifiers have already begun,

Australian Open title favourites Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are set to meet in the semi-finals of the women’s singles draw for the second straight year. Sabalenka beat Gauff in the last four on her way to a second Melbourne triumph 12 months ago,