Australian Open 2024: Iga Swiatek handed tough draw; Djokovic vs Tsitsipas rematch a potential quarter-final

The 2024 Australian Open draw is out and women’s top seed Iga Swiatek is projected to face last year’s finalist Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals. But before that, the Pole will face 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in the first round and potentially 2016 winner Angelique Kerber or 2022 finalist Danielle Collins in the second round to be handed a tough start in her bid to win a maiden title in Melbourne. Swiatek headlines a stacked top quarter of the draw that features Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, No. 11 seed Jelena Ostapenko and No. 19 seed Elina Svitolina. Latvia’s Ostapenko had beaten Swiatek at the US Open while Svitolina had triumphed over the current World No 1 at Wimbledon. Defending champion and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka is projected to face reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semi-finals. They had met at Flushing Meadows where the American teenager won her first major title. The Belarusian will begin her title defence against a qualifier. Sabalenka’s quarter of the draw also features No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur and No. 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova, who reached two WTA 1000 finals on hard courts in 2023. Elena Rybakina, champion in Brisbane to start the year, will open against former World No 1 Karolina Pliskova, who played an impressive contest against a resurgent Naomi Osaka. Osaka, playing her first major tournament since leaving the game for mental health reasons and to give birth, is unseeded and in Gauff’s quarter of the draw. She will open against Caroline Garcia, with a potential second round against Magdalena Frech or wildcard Daria Saville. Gauff, who won the Auckland Classic, will go against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round and her first seeded opposition could be No. 32 seed Leylah Fernandez. Djokovic vs Alcaraz set for final showdown [caption id=“attachment_13600122” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tournament referee Wayne McKewen, right, and Craig Tiley, tournament chief executive officer, conduct the draw ahead of the Australian Open. AP[/caption] Defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 11th title in Melbourne will start against a qualifier and could include a third round against Andy Murray and a quarterfinal against last year’s runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas. As well as the potential 2023 final rematch between Djokovic and No. 7 Tsitsipas, other men’s quarterfinals could be: No. 4 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the top half; No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No 6 Alexander Zverev, and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 8 Holger Rune on the bottom half. Two unseeded past Wimbledon finalists returning from injuries could be challenging obstacles for Top 10 players in the first round, with Tsitsipas against Matteo Berrettini and local hope, No. 10 Alex de Minaur, against big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic. (with inputs from AP)