Defending champion Jannik Sinner will open his Australian Open campaign against French world No. 94 Hugo Gaston as he bids for a third consecutive title at Melbourne Park. On the women’s side, top seed Aryna Sabalenka takes on French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga in her first-round match.

Men’s No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz faces unseeded Australian Adam Walton in his pursuit of a maiden Melbourne title, which would make him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

At Thursday’s draw ceremony at Melbourne Park, 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, seeded fourth, was placed in the same section as Spaniard Pedro Martinez, ranked 71st. The Serbian, aiming for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, could meet rising Italian Lorenzo Musetti, the fifth seed, in the quarter-finals, with a potential semi-final clash against Sinner also on the cards.

Sinner enjoys a relatively smooth opening week, though fans are hoping for a third-round encounter with 28th-seeded Brazilian Joao Fonseca—provided the 19-year-old recovers fully from recent back issues. “The draw is very difficult, it doesn’t matter who you play,” Sinner said at the ceremony. “We are the best players in the world and the way is very, very long.”

Alcaraz’s quarter features home favourite Alex de Minaur, but the Australian sixth seed faces a tough opener against 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, has few immediate threats in her section and could meet third seed Coco Gauff in a potential semi-final. Gauff begins her campaign against 55th-ranked Uzbek Kamilla Rakhimova.

Second-seeded Iga Świątek will face a qualifier in the opening round. Her path to a first Australian Open title and seventh Grand Slam overall may include a quarter-final showdown with resurgent Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina, who clinched her first WTA Finals trophy in November. Rybakina opens against unseeded Slovene Kaja Juvan.

Defending women’s champion Madison Keys faces unseeded Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova. The ninth seed has a challenging draw, with a potential fourth-round clash against sixth-seeded compatriot Jessica Pegula and a possible quarter-final against fourth seed Amanda Anisimova.

In men’s news, home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew from the draw on Thursday due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Adelaide International, where he was competing with a protected ranking.