2025 Australian Open: A look at the draw for top WTA seeds

The season openers have wrapped up with the USA winning the United Cup in Sydney and Aryna Sabalenka claiming the Brisbane International title. Moving forward, the qualifiers for the 2025 Australian Open have also concluded, and the focus now shifts entirely to the main draw of the Grand Slam event. The action is slated to begin on January 12 in Melbourne, with top ATP and WTA seeds ready to commence their runs toward the title. Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner will enter the tournament as the defending champions, with Sabalenka already on a two-year streak in hard-court battles. Sabalenka, however, is poised to face a formidable challenge from Coco Gauff, who comes into the event on the back of unmatched form, having led the USA to the United Cup title. The competition grows even more thrilling with World No. 2 Iga Swiatek gearing up to bid for her maiden Australian Open title and Zheng Qinwen aiming to outdo her performances against Sabalenka.

Aryna Sabalenka to Iga Swiatek: Draw for top WTA seeds at 2025 Australian Open

As is the trend in all Grand Slam events, the women's tournament will see matches decided in the best-of-three sets format. The draw, revealed during an official ceremony headlined by the 2024 champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, maps out the path ahead. Aryna Sabalenka, entering the Grand Slam as World No.1 and the top seed for the first time in her professional career, has a challenging task ahead. The Belarusian, drawn in the top half along with Coco Gauff, will open her campaign in Melbourne against former World No.3 Sloane Stephens. The 2017 US Open champion, however, has faced Sabalenka on the tour four times, losing on each occasion. Sabalenka, riding high on her unabashed form, is expected to outclass Sloane in the opening round and could subsequently face players like Mirra Andreeva and Zheng Qinwen.

Sabalenka recently edged past Mirra Andreeva in the semi-final of the Brisbane International. Zheng Qinwen, seeded fifth, is a well-established rival to Sabalenka. Sabalenka faced Zheng three times in 2024, winning on all occasions, including the 2024 Australian Open final and the US Open quarter-final. Qinwen, who became only the second player from her country after Li Na to reach a major final last year, begins her campaign with a first-round match against Anca Tadoni. Further ahead in the Australian Open, Qinwen is positioned to potentially face No.12 seed Diana Shnaider and No.18 seed Donna Vekic.

Another player to watch out for in the upcoming Grand Slam is the USA’s champion, Coco Gauff. The American has hit an enviable form right before the event, as evidenced by her title victories at the WTA Finals and the United Cup. The young sensation faces a tough start as she is pitted against the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in her opening match in Melbourne. Kenin’s 2-0 head-to-head record against Gauff in Grand Slam events predicts a challenging draw for the American in the first round. However, if Gauff manages to edge past Kenin, she will likely face two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka in the next round. Osaka, on the other hand, starts her campaign against France’s Caroline Garcia. Drawn in the same quarter are top-seeded players Karolina Muchova and Paula Badosa.

The third quarter of the Australian Open draw features Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini. While Rybakina has built a reputation as a formidable player on hard courts, it remains to be seen whether her recent coaching changes will affect her performance in Melbourne. The sixth seed will begin her campaign against Australian wildcard entrant Emerson Jones, currently ranked No. 1 in juniors. Meanwhile, Paolini, seeded fourth, starts against China’s Wei Sijia, who earned her place in the main draw through the qualifiers. With Rybakina and Paolini as the top seeds in the quarter, they could potentially meet in the playoffs.

Finally, former World No.1 Iga Swiatek. The Polish star, embroiled in scrutiny surrounding her doping case, will look to find her way back to winning form. Fortunately for Swiatek, with the ITIA clearing her after a provisional ban, only the controversy remains, with no suspension or points deduction. The Pole begins the 2025 season with a clean slate. As for the Australian Open draw, Swiatek has Emma Navarro in her quarter. However, her first opponent in Melbourne will be Katerina Siniakova. Meanwhile, fitness concerns linger around Emma Raducanu, but the Brit is drawn to start her campaign against Ekaterina Alexandrova.