We could be headed for a second consecutive Grand Slam final between Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova. Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed, and Anisimova, the No. 4 seed, have favorable draws for the late stages of the 2026 Australian Open, which gets underway Jan. 17 in Melbourne.
Sabalenka, the 2025 runner-up Down Under to Madison Keys, would be a solid favorite against likely Round of 16 opponent Clara Tauson and probable quarterfinal foe Jasime Paolini.
Anisimova has more weapons than anyone in her quarter of the draw. She could face No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, but proved she could beat Swiatek on a hard court at the 2025 U.S. Open. It could add up to a rematch of the U.S. Open final between Sabalenka and Anisimova this past September, which Sabalenka won in two close sets.
Who got the toughest and easiest draws for the Australian Open?
Toughest draw for a top seed
There won’t be any easy matches for Mirra Andreeva, the No. 8 seed. Andreeva will likely face solid veterans Donna Vekic and Maria Sakkari in her first two matches before taking on a seeded player in the later rounds.
Best draw for Week 1
No. 12 seed Clara Tauson faces a challenging, likely matchup against No. 17 seed Victoria Mboko in the third round and an even more challenging likely matchup against top seed Sabalenka in the Round of 16, but she has a fairly smooth path to the third round. Tauson won’t face anyone ranked better than No. 93 in her first two matches.
Worst draw
World No. 103 Anastasia Zakharova drew No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula in the first round. It wouldn’t get much easier from there. If Zakharova somehow won the tournament, she’d most likely have to beat six seeded players, and no one ranked worse than No. 36.
Best opportunity for an unseeded player
World No. 43 Xinyu Wang has momentum after reaching the final in the recent ASB Classic in New Zealand and the draw to back it up in Australia. She’ll face a qualifier in the first round. The likely second-round opponent, No. 24 seed Jelena Ostapenko, is talented but inconsistent.