Melbourne, Jan 15 (NationPress) World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka is on a challenging path to secure her third Australian Open title within four years, potentially facing formidable opponents like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek following the release of the draw for this prestigious tournament on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Sabalenka could find herself on a semifinal collision course with the third-seeded Gauff. However, before reaching that stage, the Belarusian will likely need to overcome 2021 US Open champion and 28th seed Emma Raducanu, alongside hard-hitting Danish 14th seed Clara Tauson and seventh seed, two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini.

Gauff, who celebrated her second Grand Slam victory at Roland Garros last year, might encounter 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the eighth seed, in the quarterfinals.

Defending champion Madison Keys is aiming for back-to-back Australian Open titles and could face a tough third-round matchup against Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez, with both players having won one match each in their past encounters. This could set up a potential fourth-round clash with fellow American Jessica Pegula.

Keys is returning to Melbourne Park after securing her first-ever Grand Slam title last year, where she triumphed over Sabalenka, who has reached the final in the last three editions and captured titles in 2023 and 2024.

Iga Swiatek, the World No.2, has her sights set on completing a career Grand Slam, but faces significant challenges, including a possible quarterfinal match against fifth seed Elena Rybakina, who remained unbeaten at the WTA Finals in November.

Swiatek may also meet fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals.

Anisimova, a two-time major finalist, could encounter compatriot Pegula in the quarterfinals, but the sixth seed faces a daunting challenge against the reigning women’s champion Keys in the fourth round.

Additionally, despite making back-to-back fourth-round appearances at Melbourne Park, eighth seed Andreeva will have a tough first-round match against former world No.17 Donna Vekic.

Former world No.1 and seven-time major champion Venus Williams will kick off her campaign against Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic, who is 21 years her junior.

The 45-year-old Williams, a two-time Australian Open finalist, is poised to become the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open main draw, breaking the previous record held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she was eliminated in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open.