Home hopes of ending a half-century drought at the Australian Open have been dealt a blow after No 6 seed Alex de Minaur received a challenging draw for the first grand slam of the year, starting on Sunday at Melbourne Park.
De Minaur faces former world No 6 and Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the first round. The Italian, who helped Italy win a third successive Davis Cup in November, has beaten the Australian in their two most high-profile meetings, at Wimbledon in 2023 and the Miami Masters last year, though De Minaur levelled their head-to-head at 3-3 with a win in Vienna in October.
The Australian's path only gets tougher with potential matches against 29th seed Frances Tiafoe in the third round and career-best form Alexander Bublik in the fourth. If he reaches the quarter-finals, which he has never done at a grand slam, he is likely to face top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who has won all five previous encounters. Todd Woodbridge, former doubles grand slam champion, described the draw as a 'tough one' for De Minaur.
The women's draw also presents challenges for local seed Maya Joint, the 30th seed, who faces 18-year-old Czech Tereza Valentova in the first round. Joint's quarter includes second seed Iga Swiatek, fifth seed Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka, alongside Australians Daria Kasatkina and Kimberley Birrell.
An Australian man has not won the singles title since Mark Edmondson in 1976. At least nine Australians are set to compete in the men's singles, including Alexei Popyrin, who faces France's Alexandre Muller. Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew from the singles on Thursday, citing recovery from pectoral surgery, but may still play doubles with Nick Kyrgios.
