The Australian Open draw is set, and as always, the bracket didn’t hold back when it came to drama. With Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner landing in the same half, we’re staring down the barrel of a potential blockbuster semifinal between the 10-time Aussie Open champ and the reigning two-time titleholder. That’s the kind of matchup that could shake Rod Laver Arena to its core.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Sinner’s path is anything but a cakewalk. The second-ranked Italian might see rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca as early as the third round.
Fonseca’s still green, but the tools are there-and Sinner will need to be sharp. Then there’s Ben Shelton, a familiar name and a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Shelton’s got the firepower to make that matchup electric, but first, he’ll need to get past Ugo Humbert in the opening round-a tricky lefty with the kind of game that can cause problems on a hard court.
The bottom half of the draw is stacked with landmines. Grigor Dimitrov and Tomas Machac, both unseeded but dangerous, are set to clash right out of the gate.
That’s a brutal first-round pairing, and the winner doesn’t get much of a breather-Stefanos Tsitsipas likely awaits in round two, with Lorenzo Musetti looming in the third round. That section also includes Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Jakub Mensik, and the always-dangerous Hubert Hurkacz, who’s flying under the radar as an unseeded threat.
Up top, Carlos Alcaraz might’ve drawn the most forgiving road of the top seeds. The world No. 1 is still chasing his first Australian Open crown, and this could be the year.
He could face Sebastian Korda in the third round, then potentially Tommy Paul or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth. None of those are pushovers, but Alcaraz has shown he can handle pace, creativity, and grinding rallies with equal ease.
If he holds form, the quarterfinals could bring him up against Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, or Frances Tiafoe-each with their own brand of chaos to throw into the mix.
Then there’s Alexander Zverev’s section, which feels like the wild west. It’s wide open, with no clear favorite and plenty of room for surprises.
Zverev opens against Gabriel Diallo-one of the best unseeded names in the field-and that’s no easy start. Elsewhere in that quadrant, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev are all lurking.
Rublev, in particular, will need to be ready from the first ball-he opens against Matteo Arnaldi, a player who’s more than capable of pulling off an early upset.
All told, the draw has set the stage for a fascinating two weeks in Melbourne. With a mix of seasoned champions, rising stars, and dangerous floaters scattered throughout, this year’s Australian Open promises to deliver the kind of high-stakes tennis that fans live for.