By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
British number one Emma Raducanu was again handed a tough path at a grand slam with world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming at the Australian Open.
Raducanu who enters the tournament as the 28th seed, is set to face Thailand’s Mananchava Sawangkaew in her opening game and one of Anastasia Potopova or Suzan Lamens in the second round if she progresses.
Two-time winner Sabalenka starts against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, while defending champion Madison Keys – who beat Sabalenka in last year’s final – plays Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Raducanu and Sabalenka also faced each other in the third round at Wimbledon last year, where the Brit went toe-to-toe with the world No. 1 before eventually losing 7-6 (6), 6-4.
In the men’s draw, Italy’s two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner gets his bid under way against French world number 94 Hugo Gaston.
Second seed Sinner cannot face his rival Carlos Alcaraz until the final, with the pair having met in the trophy matches at the past three majors.
Sinner has been put in the same side of the draw as 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, meaning they could meet in the last four, while Spanish world number one Alcaraz starts against Australia’s Adam Walton.
When does the Australian Open 2026 main round start, and when are the finals?
The first round of men’s and women’s singles matches starts on Sunday, January 18.
The women’s singles final will be played at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, January 31, and the men’s singles final will be played at the same venue a day later.
Where is the Australian Open played?
The first Slam of the year is played on the hard-court venues located at Melbourne Park. Apart from the Rod Laver Arena, the other main courts are the Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.