The Australian Open is heating up with some thrilling matchups that promise to keep tennis fans on the edge of their seats. Among the most anticipated clashes is the encounter between fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of the Chinese mainland and the reigning champion, No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. If both players continue their winning streaks, they could face off in the quarterfinals, setting the stage for a spectacular showdown.
Zheng Qinwen's first-round opponent is yet to be confirmed, as she awaits a match against either a qualifier or a lucky loser. Meanwhile, Sabalenka is set to take on world No. 84 Sloane Stephens of the United States in her initial match.
Fans should also keep an eye on other exciting matchups, including an all-American face-off between No. 3 seed Coco Gauff and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula. Additionally, tennis enthusiasts will be keen to watch the 2024 French Open quarterfinals rematch featuring Kazakhstani No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina against Italian No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini. Another highly anticipated match is the revenge contest between eighth-seeded American Emma Navarro and No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland.
Beyond Zheng Qinwen, six more women from the Chinese mainland have secured spots in the women's singles main draw at the Australian Open. Wang Xinyu is slated to face No. 11 seed Paula Badosa of Spain in the first round, while Yuan Yue will challenge 27th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. Wang Yafan is set to compete against Anna Bondar of Hungary, holding a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head record.
Wang Xiyu's first-round opponent will be Julia Grabher of Austria, and the thirty-five-year-old veteran Zhang Shuai is scheduled to play against McCartney Kessler of the United States. Zheng Saisai will go head-to-head with Erika Andreeva of Russia.
In the men's singles category, No. 1 seed and reigning champion Jannik Sinner of Italy faces local favorite, No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur. The fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz may meet three-time Australian Open runner-up, fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
Serbian superstar No. 7 seed Novak Djokovic could encounter his first major challenge on his path to his 25th Grand Slam trophy when he meets No. 3 seed Carlo Alcaraz of Spain in the quarterfinals. Additionally, second-seed Alexander Zverev of Germany is a potential opponent for No. 6 seed Casper Ruud of Norway.
Representing the Chinese mainland in the men's singles event, Zhang Zhizhen will face No. 13 seed Holger Rune of Denmark, while Shang Juncheng is set to play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain. Bu Yunchaokete will await his first-round opponent after the qualifying competitions conclude.
Reference(s):
Zheng Qinwen in same bracket as Aryna Sabalenka at Australian Open
cgtn.com
