By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Jannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens after the draw for the year’s first Grand Slam was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic launches his latest bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown against U.S. wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy but his path to the Melbourne Park final will not be an easy one.
In the third round Djokovic could face Reilly Opelka, the big-serving American who beat the Serb in Brisbane this week, while third seed Carlos Alcaraz is a potential opponent in the quarter-finals.
Spaniard Alcaraz, who added the French Open trophy to his collection in 2024, begins his campaign to capture the one Grand Slam that has eluded him when he meets Alexander Shevchenko.
World number one Sinner must hit the ground running after being paired with Chilean Jarry, who beat the Italian in their first meeting in 2019 and took him to three sets in a losing effort in Beijing last year.
Women’s second seed Iga Swiatek plays Katerina Siniakova while third seed Coco Gauff faces an early challenge against fellow American Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open champion in 2020.
Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, runner-up last year, meets a qualifier first up and is on a collision course with Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
Two-times champion Naomi Osaka meets Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their first round encounter last year which the Japanese player lost in straight sets shortly after her return to the tour from a long maternity break.
There are question marks over Osaka’s fitness, however, after an abdominal injury forced her to quit while leading Clara Tauson in her first WTA final in almost three years in Auckland on Sunday.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, who has struggled with injuries since losing to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, is due to take on Jacob Fearnley but his return to Melbourne Park remains in doubt due to an abdominal strain.
Fellow Australian Alex de Minaur has a difficult opener against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who stunned Alcaraz at last year’s U.S. Open.
The main draw gets underway on Sunday.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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