At the Australian Open, Swiatek is up against two former winners; Djokovic and Tsitsipas may face off in the quarterfinals

Iga Swiatek, ranked #1, has a difficult start to her campaign for her first Australian Open title as she will play 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in the opening round and either 2016 winner Angelique Kerber or Danielle Collins in the second.

In his quest for a record-tying eleventh Australian Open championship, defending champion Novak Djokovic may play No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year's runner-up, in the quarterfinals and in the third round against Andy Murray.

Thursday's draws to determine the singles brackets featured some intense opening rounds due to the return of past champions Naomi Osaka, Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki to Melbourne Park following maternity leaves.

Osaka, the two-time Australian and U.S. Open champion, is paired with U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff in the same quarter of the draw as her opening opponent, No. 16 Caroline Garcia.

First up for Kerber, the three-time major champion, is Collins, who advanced to the final of this tournament by defeating Swiatek in the semifinals in 2022. At the Australian Open, that was Swiatek's best performance to date.

The 2018 winner Wozniacki will face 2023 semifinalist and 20th-seeded Magda Linette in the opening round, while the reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka will face a qualifier.

Potential quarterfinal pairings for the women's division would be: No. 1 Swiatek against No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova; No. 3 Elena Rybakina against No. 5 Jessica Pegula; No. 2 Sabalenka against No. 6 Ons Jabeur; and No. 4 Gauff against No. 8 Maria Sakkari in the lower half.

Other quarterfinal matches could include 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 in the bottom half. This matchup could also feature the possible rematch of Djokovic and Tsitsipas in the 2023 final.