The Australian Open draw has been announced: Zheng Qinwen will once again face off against Sabalenka, while Djokovic and Alcaraz are set to meet in the semifinals.
The men's and women's singles draw for the 2025 Australian Open was recently unveiled, revealing significant changes in the seeding positions of top players compared to last year. Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka lead the men's and women's singles draws as the No. 1 seeds, respectively.
Men's singles draw:
Top half: The No. 1 seed is defending champion Sinner, who will face Chile's Jarry in the first round. A potential fourth-round opponent could be Rune. In the quarterfinals, he might take on the home favorite and No. 8 seed De Minaur. If he advances smoothly, his semifinal matchup could be against No. 5 seed Medvedev.
The bottom half of the draw features relatively fierce competition—it’s no exaggeration to call it the "Death Bracket." Second-seeded Zverev kicks off against French wildcard Pouille in the first round, and he could face No. 6 seed Ruud in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, third-seeded Alcaraz takes on Kazakhstan’s Shevchenko in the opening round; if he advances to the last eight, a potential early clash with Djokovic in the quarters would certainly not be ideal for either player.
Three Chinese players have qualified for the main draw: Zhang Zhizhen, Shang Juncheng, and Bu Yunchaokete.
Zhang Zhizhen, China's highest-ranked men's tennis player, will face the No. 13 seed Rune in the first round—a significant challenge for Zhang. If he manages to prevail, he could potentially go on to face players like Berrettini or Hurkacz.
Shang Juncheng's first-round opponent is Davidovich, who is a strong contender. However, if Shang Juncheng performs exceptionally well, he still has a chance to pull off an upset. If he manages to advance past the first round, his second-round match will be against the winner between Aliassime and Struff, while the third round could set up a clash with No. 6 seed Ruud.
In the first round, Bu Yunchaokete will face a qualifier, and he could then potentially take on French players Amberg and Fise—one of whom certainly won’t be easy to handle.
Women's singles draw:
In the top half of the draw: Top-seeded Sabalenka is placed in the upper bracket, starting her campaign against former US Open champion Stephens in the first round. If she advances, she could face Bousa in the second round, with Noskova as a potential third-round opponent. A clash against Mirra Andreeva looms in the fourth round, and she’ll likely square off against No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals.
The bottom half: The section containing No. 2 seed Swiatek is equally competitive, with a potential third-round matchup against the winner of the clash between No. 26 seed Alexandrova and Raducanu. Meanwhile, her possible quarterfinal opponent could be none other than No. 6 seed Rybakina, among others.
The women's singles draw features eight Chinese players, with mixed fortunes—some lucky, others less so.
As the No. 5 seed, Zheng Qinwen has been drawn into a particularly challenging bracket. Her first-round opponent is a qualifier, but if she advances smoothly, she’ll likely face defending champion Sabalenka in the quarterfinals—a match-up she’s lost all five previous encounters against.
Wang Xinyu's first-round opponent is the No. 11 seed, Paula Badosa—set to be a tough match. If she manages an upset victory, her next challenges will certainly be no walk in the park, as she’ll need to fight hard game by game.
Yuan Yue will face the No. 27 seed, Pavlyuchenkova, in the first round and has a solid chance of advancing. If she makes it to the second round, she could potentially take on Potapova; and if she reaches the third round, she might even get the opportunity to meet Zheng Qinwen.
Other key matchups:
Third-seeded Gauff will face former Australian Open champion Kenin in the first round. Gauff has won two of their three previous encounters, but Kenin has also stunned Gauff in a Grand Slam first-round match before—so she shouldn’t be underestimated. If Gauff advances smoothly, her quarterfinal opponent could be seventh-seeded Pegula.
Naomi Osaka drew what can only be described as an incredibly tough draw—such a challenging schedule is rare indeed. In the first round, she’ll face Garcia, a match-up between two players who both boast formidable skills. If Naomi manages to prevail, her next opponents could include Muchova, Ostapenko, or Gauff. Even at her peak, navigating this bracket would make reaching the semifinals no easy feat.
