Australian Open begins Jan. 12 in Melbourne, and the draws for the men’s and women’s singles are intriguing — and have thrown up some blockbuster first-round matches. The Athletic’s tennis writers, Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare,

Melbourne: Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season's first major, ruling out a replay of last year's semifinal match.

Novak Djokovic is due to take on a collosal path in this year's Australian Open with Spanish wiz Carlos Alcaraz set to be waiting for him in the quarter-finals, but with new coach and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray now in his corner, we can expect a sizzling few weeks ahead.

FILE - Italy’s Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Australian Open qualifying has officially concluded.In both the women's and men's singles competitions, 128 challengers were reduced to 16, with the remaining players booking themselves a coveted spot in their respective singles main draw.