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Emma Raducanu has learned who she will face in the quarter-finals at the Hobart International after her scheduled second round opponent withdrew.

The world No 29 was set to play world No 57 Magdalena Frech in the second round in Hobart, but the 28-year-old Pole pulled out ahead of the match.

Raducanu returned to the court on Wednesday to seal a 6-3, 7-6(2) opening round victory over 82nd-ranked Camila Osorio after the match had been suspended in the second set on Tuesday due to rain.

The 23-year-old Brit is the top seed at the WTA 250 tournament, and she is vying to reach her first final since claiming her only title in astonishing fashion at the 2021 US Open.

The Brit will take on Taylah Preston, an Australian wildcard, in the last eight in Hobart on Thursday. It will be the pair’s first meeting.

Who is Taylah Preston?

Taylah Preston was born in Joondalup, a suburb of Perth in Western Australia, on 27 October, 2005, and she began playing tennis at the age of four at the Greenwood Tennis Club.

According to Preston’s bio on the Tennis Australia website, her dream is to “win Grand Slam titles and be world No 1”, while she considers her backhand to be her “signature shot.”

The Aussie achieved a career-high ITF combined Junior ranking of world No 10 in September 2022.

Preston made her Grand Slam main draw debut as a wildcard at the 2024 Australian Open, where she was beaten by Elina Svitolina in the opening round. She also competed at the 2024 US Open as a wildcard, losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.

The 20-year-old is set to make her third major appearance at the 2026 Australian Open, having received a main draw wildcard.

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Preston is currently ranked 204th, having reached her career-high ranking of world No 134 in March 2024.

She has won seven titles on the ITF Circuit, while she reached her biggest final at the 2024 WTA 125 Challenger event in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — where she lost to McCartney Kessler.

The right-hander holds a 4-7 record on the main WTA Tour and a 106-45 record at ITF level.

Who has Taylah Preston beaten in Hobart?

Preston, who is competing as a wildcard at the Hobart International, upset world No 40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 7-6(4) in the opening round. Bouzas Maneiro stunned Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-0 at the United Cup earlier this month.

The Australian then defeated 72nd-ranked Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-1 in the second round.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu gets a double rankings lift as former top 10 star sets her a bold target

The post Who is Emma Raducanu’s Hobart quarter-final opponent? 20-year-old Australian wildcard appeared first on Tennis365.

The Australian Open’s 1 Point Slam was a huge success as an amateur tennis player prevailed in an exhibition event filled with many of the sport’s stars to claim $1million.

In an event staged at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, a mix of professional and amateur tennis players and celebrities played single-point matches in a knockout tournament. The players contested a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who served or received.

The inaugural 1 Point Slam was held ahead of the 2025 Australian Open, offering a prize pot of A$60,000 and attracting little attention.

It was a different story at this year’s edition, with a sell-out crowd watching the unique and engaging competition unfold.

The 48-player field consisted of:

• 24 active tennis players from the ATP and WTA tours
• Eight amateur Australian tennis players who won state qualifying rounds in 2025
• Eight players who qualified in Melbourne
• Eight wildcards, including celebrities, such as TV presenters, a singer and an Australian rules football player

16 tennis stars were seeded and received a first round bye: Carlos Alcaraz (1), Jannik Sinner (2), Iga Swiatek (3), Coco Gauff (4), Alexander Zverev (5), Amanda Anisimova (6), Elena Rybakina (7), Jasmine Paolini (8), Felix Auger-Aliassime (9), Alexander Bublik (10), Daniil Medvedev (11), Andrey Rublev (12), Naomi Osaka (13), Frances Tiafoe (14), Laura Pigossi (15) and Maria Sakkari (16).

Flavio Cobolli, Nick Kyrgios, Corentin Moutet — and former world No 1 Marat Safin — were among the unseeded players.

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What happened at the 1 Point Slam?

Jordan Smith, an amateur tennis player who is the New South Wales state champion, was the last player standing in Melbourne.

In the third round, Smith overcame four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner when the Italian, who was only allowed one serve, served into the net.

Smith then defeated WTA world No 4 Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals, with the American returning his serve long.

In the final, Smith faced Taiwanese WTA player Joanna Garland, and he claimed the $1million prize when Garland fired a backhand wide after Smith returned her serve.

“I can’t even speak, that’s unbelievable (laughs),” Smith said after his victory. “Coming into tonight, [I would have been] happy with just winning one point. I was so nervous, but enjoyed being out here and was a great experience.”

Asked what he will do with the money, Smith said: “Invest or buy a house with my girlfriend.”

Garland, who is ranked 117th on the women’s tour, stunned ATP world No 3 Alexander Zverev and Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios en route to the final.

Another standout moment came when Iga Swietek, a six-time major winner and the women’s world No 2, outhit ATP world No 22 Flavio Cobolli to win a superb point.

Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff react to the 1 Point Slam

ATP world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was beaten by WTA star Maria Sakkari, reacted to Smith’s win with a simple tweet: “Jordan Smith.”

Coco Gauff, the WTA world No 4 who lost to Donna Vekic, also gave her verdict.

“Great event! lol I said when it started I hoped an amateur won !! Congrats Jordan. soooo cold,” Gauff wrote on X/Twitter.

READ NEXT: Australian Open: How many points are Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Keys & other WTA stars defending?

The post AO 1 Point Slam: $1million event was a big win as Carlos Alcaraz & Coco Gauff react to amateur’s triumph appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Corretja believes Juan Carlos Ferrero will return to coaching after his shock split from Carlos Alcaraz and suggested he could be a good fit to join the camp of his great rival, Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz stunned the tennis world when he confirmed he has parted company with the coach who has been with him throughout his rise up the tennis ranks and helped him to lift six Grand Slam titles in the early years of his career.

Corretja was more surprised than most by news of the split, as he is close to both Ferrero and Alcaraz and believed the combination was so much more than a coaching partnership.

Having taken on Alcaraz as a young teenager, Corretja was a mentor as well as a father figure for young Carlos and his methods proved to be highly successful as the duo celebrated six Grand Slam titles since their first together in 2022.

While the partnership is now over and the acrimony between the two camps over a contract dispute suggests a reunion is unlikely, the question of what comes next for Ferrero remains unclear and Corretja believes a return to coaching is likely.

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“Why not. I think he loves tennis, he is a hard worker, someone who knows the game,” said Corretja, as he spoke about Ferrero’s future in an exclusive interview with Tennis365.

“He is someone who knows the game and thinks he needs a little bit of time to find someone that he really feels is worth it for him to leave home and go away again.

“I don’t think he is going to get the same commitment as he had with Carlos because he was almost like a father to him.

“They started seven years ago, so it was a very intense period for him. He needs a bit of time, but players will be calling him and for sure, they have already been calling him. I think will be back at some point.”

As Corretja suggested, the coaching offers have already been coming Ferrero’s way since his parting with Alcaraz was confirmed and some devious minds have suggested he could team up with world No 2 Jannik Sinner.

The prospect of Alcaraz’s former coach joining the camp of his greatest rival would make for compelling viewing for tennis fans and Corretja believes it might not be out of the question.

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“It would be weird, but it might be a good match,” said Corretja, as he summed up the prospect of a Sinner-Ferrero dream team.

“The work ethic for Juan Carlos is very methodical. He likes to do things in a proper way. He needs to control everything.

“It seems to me that Jannik has a similar way of doing things, so it might work, but not at the moment. We need to give a little bit of time to all of them.”

Ferrero’s CV suggests he will not be short of offers to work with the game’s leading players and after hiring players who had previously worked with Novak Djokovic, he might just be tempted to call on the services of a coach who would know more than anyone about Alcaraz.

Watch every match of the Australian Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 18 Jan

READ NEXT: Alex Corretja rejects Carlos Alcaraz motivation theory after his big coaching split

The post Spanish great believes Juan Carlos Ferrero could be a ‘good match’ to coach Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Novak Djokovic is under a big injury cloud ahead of the Australian Open with the 10-time champion forced to end his practice session early in Melbourne.

The tennis great has not played any competitive tennis since he won the Hellenic Championship title on November 8 as he once again opted to skip the season-ending ATP Finals.

He was due to kick off his 2026 campaign at this week’s Adelaide International, but he withdrew from the ATP 250 event a few days before the main draw confirming in a statement, “I’m not quite physically ready to compete”.

Djokovic, who will be seeded fourth at the season-opening Grand Slam, only arrived in Melbourne late on Monday and he had his first training session against Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday before taking on Daniil Medvedev in practice set on Wednesday morning.

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The 38-year-old struggled during both sessions with the long flight to Australia and hot conditions perhaps catching up with him as he looked fatigued and was seen huffing and puffing on a few occasions.

He then had a second practice session on Wednesday afternoon, but that lasted only 12 minutes as he was visibly struggling with a neck problem, as he could barely serve. The 24-time Grand Slam winner received treatment from his physio Miljan Amanovic, but was unable to continue.

The former world No 1 is not down for any practice sessions at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, but could still opt for a lighter session at one of the outside courts.

Djokovic and his fellow challengers will find out the draw for the Australian Open on Thursday with the ceremony set for 14:30 local time (03:30 GMT).

He will likely have to get past both world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner if he is to win the tournament, as they are the top two seeds.

Last year he lost against Sinner in the semi-final of the French Open and Wimbledon, and against Alcaraz in the last four of the US Open.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash recently told Tennis365: “He needs two of them to fall over, that’s the reality of it.

“So I’m very, very interested to see how he goes. It’s a fine balance at the end of your career to find where you are training hard enough to be fit enough to last two, even three, five-set matches, but not pushing it too far.

“So training hard enough to be able to last that, training too hard enough that you don’t get injured.

“You need to save enough in the tank so that you don’t get worn out and then not overtraining that you get injured before you go in there.”

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The post Novak Djokovic struggles to serve as latest injury raises concerns over Australian Open participation appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu was facing a daunting schedule at the WTA 250 event in Hobart after her opening match was delayed due to rain, but the Brit has been handed a huge boost after her second round opponent was forced to withdraw.

The 2021 US Open champion and top seed in the tournament was 4-2 down against Camila Osorio in the second set on Tuesday when rain forced an early end to play in Tasmania, but she showed encouraging form to seal a 6-3, 7-6(2) win.

“I don’t think I’ve slept over many matches in between so that was also a new one for me. I thought Camila played an incredible match overall. Such good defence, and then stepped in when I dropped the ball short,” said Raducanu.

“I’m just really pleased with how I came out today and turned it around and then stuck in during the tie-break.”

Raducanu would have faced a quick turnaround for her next match as Magdalena Frech was due to be her second round opponent, but the Polish player was forced to withdraw due to injury and that has opened the door for the top seed to make big progress in Hobart.

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She will now face a quarter-final against Australian wildcard Taylah Preston, who is ranked at No 204 in the world.

This is now a big chance for Raducanu to make progress and potentially reach her first WTA Tour final, justifying her decision to play the week before the Australian Open.

She is also getting a welcome boost to her WTA Ranking, with her live ranking now up to No 28 and she will jump up to around No 23 if she wins the title in Hobart.

Raducanu has been reluctant to play in WTA 250 events over the course of her career, but playing lower ranked players and picking up wins is recipe for success and in the opinion of former world No 7 Barbara Schett, the 23-year-old can look forward to 2026 with real optimism.

“We all know what she can do and we hope she can stay fit,” Schett told Tennis365, as she prepares to join the TNT Sports team at the Australian Open.

“She had the injury problem at the United Cup and didn’t play (against Naomi Osaka), but if she can stay healthy then we know she is a top player.

“In Francisco Riog, she has a phenomenal coach and if she can stay with him, he can guide her high up in the rankings.

“She belongs higher up up in the rankings than she is now in the low 20s, but she will improve.

“She is still so young and will improve and it’s great for British tennis to see her around as it’s not been a good time for Jack Draper.”

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Former Grand Slam champion Mark Woodforde also gave Tennis365 his verdict on Raducanu’s hopes of 2026, as he was full of optimism for the British No 1.

“We shouldn’t judge her on that one result at the US Open,” Woodforde told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador at the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.

“If she can replicate what she did in New York, that would be brilliant, but it was probably something that happened too soon, too quickly in her career.

“It’s not that you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, but in a country that has been starved of female players and desperate for her to do well, it must have been very difficult for her.

“What was encouraging was that over there were times last year when she seemed to be starting to build the foundation again to show some of that form that was discovered at the US Open a few years back.

“It is a hard one to judge right now, but I’m sure UK and British tennis praying on their hands and knees that she is successful. She has put some life back into British women’s tennis and the momentum for players like Katie Boulter has been inspired by the success of Emma Raducanu.”

Watch every match of the Australian Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 18 Jan

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu explains racket switch after experimenting during training

The post Emma Raducanu gets a double rankings lift as former top 10 star sets her a bold target appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz will not have more to prove when he takes to the court for the first time since his split with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, according to former world No 2 Alex Corretja.

The tennis world was stunned by Alcaraz’s decision to part ways with Ferrero, as a dispute over the renewal of their contract ended a relationship that was one of the most successful player/coach relationships in tennis history.

Alcaraz won six Grand Slam titles with former French Open champion Ferrero in his box, but he decided to go in a different direction in 2026 as he looks to continue his reign as world No 1.

Spanish tennis great Corretja was as surprised as anyone by the big split between Alcaraz and Ferrero, but he has rejected the suggestion that the player who will try to win his first Australian Open title this month has a point to prove in Melbourne.

Alcaraz may feel inspired to raise his game in a bid to confirm he can thrive without Ferrero in his corner, but Corretja does not believe that will give the 22-year-old additional inspiration as he aims to complete a career Grand Slam in Melbourne.

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“He is not this type of guy. He doesn’t want to prove anything to anyone that he can do it without Juanki,” Corretja told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview, as he used the nick-name widely used for Ferrero in Spain.

“He is the No 1 and in the world. He wants to prove and show himself that he is ready to do well, whether Ferrero is there sitting in his box or Carlos Moya, Corretja or Andy Murray or anybody.

“He wants to say I’m mature enough, I’m 22, I’ve won majors already and I want to keep on improving.

“Carlos needs to do it for himself. He doesn’t need to prove to anyone else. This is, for me, the most important thing for Carlitos.”

Alcaraz cried on Corretja’s shoulder when he lost the Olympic final against Novak Djokovic in Paris two years ago and he is also close with Ferrero, so the shock of their parting touched the player who reached the French Open final in 1998 and 2001.

Yet he is convinced Alcaraz’s reign at the top of men’s tennis alongside Jannik Sinner will not be derailed by his coaching split, as he believes coach Sami Lopez will offer some stability in his camp as he steps up from an assistant role into the lead position in the team.

“I hope it won’t affect him, but we have to see what happens when he plays and does not have Juan Carlos in the box,” said Corretja, who will be part of the TNT Sports team for the Australian Open.

“The thing is, he has been with Sami Lopez in the past, he already had that combination with him last year and I feel like he is ready for this.

“He is fired up for the new season and about having the chance to play well at Melbourne because he has never won there.

“Of course, there is this big question about how he will feel, but from what I’ve heard, he’s been working so hard on improving things and he is happy to start a new season.

“I think he finished last season quite well. In the past, he finished the season tired and a bit exhausted, but the fact that he was a finalist at the ATP Finals was good.

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“Then he had this issue with Juanki, but he is ready. He got there in Melbourne a week before to get ready for the condition, so I think he’s going to be ready.

“Whatever happens in Melbourne, I’m not going to be the saying say ‘oh, you see he has split up with Ferrero and now things are not going well’. I’m not this kind of person to make this kind of judgement.”

The fall-out from Alcaraz’s decision to move on in his career without Ferrero will be a big talking point at this year’s Australian Open and despite Corretja’s comments, plenty of critics will be waiting to see if there is a negative reaction for the world No 1.

Watch every match of the Australian Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 18 Jan

READ NEXT: Former Wimbledon champion fears Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner domination may be a problem for tennis

The post Alex Corretja rejects Carlos Alcaraz motivation theory after his big coaching split appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu’s opening match at the Hobart International was suspended, but she has learned her potential second round opponent if she does progress.

The world No 29 was leading 6-3, 2-4 against 82nd-ranked Colombian wildcard Camila Osorio in Hobart when organisers suspended play for the day due to heavy rain.

Both players have struggled on serve so far, with nine of the 15 games played having been won by the returner.

Raducanu broke in the first and third games of the match, either side of losing her opening service game. The Brit held from 0-40 at 4-3 before she broke her 24-year-old opponent for the third time to take the opening set.

Osorio is the only player to hold serve so far in the second set, with the Colombian leading 4-2 and pushing for another break at 40-40 on Raducanu’s serve when the match was stopped.

Raducanu, who is the top seed at the WTA 250 tournament, is chasing her second career title to add to her stunning 2021 US Open victory.

The 23-year-old will face Magdalena Frech in the second round in Hobart if she manages to overcome Osorio when the match resumes on Wednesday

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Who is Magdalena Frech?

If Raducanu were to defeat Osorio, she would be set for a first-ever meeting with Frech, the current world No 57.

In her opening round match in Hobart on Tuesday, Frech earned a dominant 6-4, 6-0 win against 58th-ranked Elsa Jacquemot.

Frech was born in Lodz, Poland on 15 December, 1997, and she started playing tennis at the age of six.

She reached a career-high ranking of world No 22 in November 2024 after she won her only career title at the hard-court WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara in September 2024.

The 28-year-old was also a runner-up at the clay-court WTA 250 event in Prague in July 2024.

The Pole achieved her best Grand Slam result at the 2024 Australian Open, where she reached the fourth round.

Frech has recorded two wins over opponents ranked in the top 10 at the time: Emma Navarro at the 2024 Wuhan Open and Mirra Andreeva at the 2025 Berlin Open.

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu’s targets laid out by Grand Slam winner after troubled start to 2026

The post Who will Emma Raducanu play next if she wins suspended Hobart International match? appeared first on Tennis365.

The 2026 Australian Open is fast approaching, but how many ranking points will WTA Tour stars be defending at the year’s first Grand Slam?

Main draw action at Melbourne Park will get underway on 18 January, while the women’s singles final will be played on Saturday 31 January.

Here, we look at how many points WTA players are set to drop from last year’s Australian Open.

Points players earned at the 2025 Australian Open

Madison Keys, who is ranked ninth, defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Australian Open to claim her maiden Grand Slam title, which earned her 2,000 points. World No 1 Sabalenka’s runner-up result saw her collect 1,300 points.

Iga Swiatek, who is the world No 2, and Paula Badosa, who is ranked 26th, each earned 780 points for reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne last year.

Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, Emma Navarro and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are all defending 430 points, having been quarter-finalists in 2025.

Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva, Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina, Eva Lys, Olga Danilovic, Veronika Kudermetova and Donna Vekic each earned 240 points for making it to the fourth round.

The 16 players who lost in the third round, including Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Naomi Osaka, Clara Tauson, Marta Kostyuk, Diana Shnaider, Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu, collected 130 points.

The 32 players to fall in the second round, including Amanda Anisimova and Karolina Muchova, amassed 70 points.

The 64 first round losers at the 2025 Australian Open, a group that included Ekaterina Alexandrova, Linda Noskova and Jelena Ostapenko, earned 10 points.

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Australian Open women’s singles ranking points breakdown

Champion: 2,000
Runner-up: 1,300
Semi-finalists: 780
Quarter-finalists: 430
Fourth round: 240
Third round: 130
Second round: 70
First round: 10

Projected 2026 Australian Open women’s singles seeds – points dropping from 2025

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 1,300
2. Iga Swiatek – 780
3. Coco Gauff – 430
4. Amanda Anisimova – 70
5. Elena Rybakina – 240
6. Jessica Pegula – 130
7. Jasmine Paolini – 130
8. Mirra Andreeva – 240
9. Madison Keys – 2,000
10. Belinda Bencic – 240
11. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 10
12. Elina Svitolina – 430
13. Linda Noskova – 10
14. Clara Tauson – 130
15. Emma Navarro – 430
16. Naomi Osaka – 130
17. Victoria Mboko – 0
18. Ludmilla Samsonova – 70
19. Karolina Muchova – 70
20. Marta Kostyuk – 130
21. Elise Mertens – 70
22. Leylah Fernandez – 10
23. Diana Shnaider – 10
24. Jelena Ostapenko – 10
25. Paula Badosa – 780
26. Dayana Yastremska – 130
27. Sofia Kenin – 10
28. Emma Raducanu – 130
29. Iva Jovic – 70
30. Maya Joint – 10
31. Anna Kalinskaya – 0
32. Marketa Vondrousova – 0

READ NEXT: Australian Open withdrawal list grows as French star joins those on sidelines

The post Australian Open: How many points are Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Keys & other WTA stars defending? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has been told “it’s very important” to consider a Grand Slam winner as his next coach and tennis great Mats Wilander has named Roger Federer as the “perfect” candidate as he can help the Spaniard with the “game he doesn’t feel as comfortable with”.

Reigning world No 1 Alcaraz shocked the tennis world in December when he announced that he had parted ways with Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven successful years during which they won six Grand Slams with Alcaraz peaking at No 1 in the ATP Rankings.

The news took the tennis world by storm as it appeared to be a happy relationship, but reports soon emerged that all was not well behind the scenes with Alcaraz’s entourage reportedly unhappy with Ferrero for quite some time.

One journalist claimed that the Alcaraz camp wanted to replace the 2003 French Open winner as coach back in December 2024, but the player himself scuppered the plans and the Spaniard continued in 2025 only to be replaced at the end of the season.

The same report revealed that Andy Murray was lined up to replace Ferrero in 2024, but Novak Djokovic thwarted those plans as he appointed the three-time Grand Slam winner as his coach, although the two parted ways after a few months in 2025.

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Alcaraz, though, has named Samuel Lopez – who joined the team on a full-time basis ahead of the 2025 season – as his main coach, but many believe he will appoint a second mentor in due course.

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Wilander believes Alcaraz is likely to turn to another Spaniard, but

In an interview with Eurosport, seven-time Grand Slam winner Wilander stated Alcaraz is likely to turn to another Spaniard, but he also explained why 20-time major champion Federer – and not Murray – would work well with Alcaraz.

“I think it’s very important to have a Grand Slam winner in your ear, he already had Juan Carlos Ferrero,” the Swede stated.

“I think if you are going to have another Grand Slam winner in your ear, that voice should come from a player who plays a different kind of game. When you take Murray and you take Carlos Alcaraz, there is a similarity in the way they are playing.

“But if you take a John McEnroe and a Carlos Alcaraz, suddenly see a big change. Or if you take a Stefan Edberg and a Carlos Alcaraz, there’s a big difference.

“Or let’s consider Roger Federer in there, for example. Now you are talking about someone who could really help Carlos Alcaraz with the game he doesn’t feel as comfortable with. And I think Roger Federer would be the perfect coach for Carlos Alcaraz.”

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Iga Swiatek is undeniably one of the greatest tennis players of her time and arguably the greatest of her era — and she has the chance to make history at the Australian Open in 2026.

After completing the ‘Surface Slam’ following her maiden Wimbledon triumph last July, Swiatek now has the chance to complete the Career Grand Slam in Melbourne, a feat not achieved by any WTA player since Maria Sharapova completed it at the 2012 French Open.

However, while she will enter as one of the favourites, will Swiatek‘s hopes of glory Down Under be affected by a notable — and in her case, concerning — trend when she takes on the very best players in the world?

Gauff losing streak

World No 3 Coco Gauff is by far and away the most-played opponent of Swiatek’s career, with the two having met a staggering 16 times — despite still only being in their early-to-mid twenties.

This head-to-head used to be emphatically in Swiatek’s favour, with the Pole holding an 11-1 advantage over Gauff, with all 11 of her wins coming in straight sets.

However, the tables have now well and truly turned.

The pair have met four times since November 2024 and, in all of those meetings, it has been Gauff picking up straight-set triumphs.

The American beat Swiatek in the round-robin stage of the 2024 WTA Finals, in the 2025 United Cup final, the 2025 Madrid Open semi-final, and the 2026 United Cup semi-final this past weekend.

All four of those wins have been convincing for Gauff, with the American not dropping more than four games in any of the last eight sets she has played since Swiatek.

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Those four matches have all come since Swiatek started playing more aggressively under the guidance of Wim Fissette, and this could play into the hands of Gauff, arguably the best athlete and counterpuncher on tour.

However, this trend extends — admittedly to a lesser extent — to other top-10 players. Swiatek has lost her:

• Last two matches vs world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka
• Last two matches vs world No 4 Amanda Anisimova
• Last one match vs world No 5 Elena Rybakina
• Last two matches vs world No 6 Jessica Pegula
• Last one match vs world No 7 Jasmine Paolini
• Last two matches vs world No 8 Mirra Andreeva
• Last one match vs world No 10 Belinda Bencic

The only current member of the top 10 (as of Monday, January 12) that she won her last meeting against was world No 9 Madison Keys.

Swiatek still leads a lot of head-to-heads against the players mentioned above, though there is no denying the trend that has begun to emerge.

Top-10 and top-5 dip

Adding to the stats below, there is also no denying that her overall record against top-10 and top-5 players has dropped in recent months.

Across her career in total, Swiatek has a 53-28 record against top-10 players on the WTA Tour, giving her an overall win percentage of 65.43% in such matches.

While that is still a very high win rate versus top-10 players overall, her record against such opponents has been heading in the wrong direction in recent months.

Since the start of the 2025 tennis season, Swiatek has a 9-9 record against top-10 opponents — a win percentage of 50% that is well down on her overall career percentage.

She has lost five of her last six matches against top-10-ranked opponents, and has a 5-8 record against top-10 opponents since the start of the 2025 clay swing last April.

While her 65.43% win rate is still high, it is notably down on the 69.33% record she had only last August, after her first 75 matches against top-10 stars.

Swiatek also has a negative record against top-5-ranked players in recent years, with a 3-8 record against such players since her 2024 French Open triumph.

Why could this be such a big issue?

Swiatek did not beat a top-10 player on her way to winning the Wimbledon title last summer, but the players she beat in the semi-final and final — Bencic and Anisimova — are both now in the top-10, and have now beaten her in their most recent encounters.

After a strong period of inconsistency and surprise finals on the WTA Tour, renewed consistency and dominance at the top mean that the last 16 Grand Slam women’s singles finals have had at least one top-10 star in them.

The last final without a top-10 player was the surprise 2021 US Open final between Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez.

Swiatek has a perfect 6-0 record in Grand Slam finals, but if she were to hypothetically face a top-10 player in the Australian Open final, her recent trajectory against such opponents would suggest that unblemished record could be under threat.

The Pole will be the second seed in Melbourne, and that will provide some layers of protection, though she will be projected to face one of Rybakina, Pegula, Paolini, or Andreeva in the quarter-final stage.

She will then have either world No 3 Gauff or world No 4 Anisimova as a projected semi-final opponent, before a hypothetical final against world No 1 Sabalenka.

Swiatek’s draw could potentially blow wide open and hand her a more fortuitous path towards the final, but she will likely have to face at least one top-10 star if she wants to reach the championship match.

History beckons for the 24-year-old in Melbourne, but it could prove to be an uphill task.

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