Three can't miss opening matches from the women's draw

By Cody Fitzpatrick Jan 12, 2018

Football star Reggie Bush is now a tennis dad

By Ed McGrogan Apr 19, 2024
Style Points

Zendaya pays tribute to the Williams sisters in Carolina Herrera gown and white beads

By Baseline Staff Apr 19, 2024
Social

Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams among stars who honor science achievement at Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

By Baseline Staff Apr 19, 2024
Social

Andy Murray returns to practice court after confirming he won't have surgery for ankle injury

By Associated Press Apr 19, 2024
Betting Central

Game, Set, Bet, presented by BetMGM: Iga Swiatek or the field at Roland Garros?

By Baseline Staff Apr 19, 2024
Betting Central

Game, Set, Bet, presented by BetMGM: Four men's long shots to consider at Roland Garros

By Baseline Staff Apr 19, 2024
Style Points

Emma Raducanu carries BJK Cup momentum—and Team GB's lucky bracelet—into Stuttgart quarterfinals

By Baseline Staff Apr 18, 2024
Style Points

As inseams get higher, Aryna Sabalenka, Stefanos Tsitsipas lead the Great Shorts Debate 🩳

By David Kane Apr 18, 2024
Travel

Destination Tennis: USTA National Campus

By Megan Fernandez Apr 18, 2024

Three can't miss opening matches from the women's draw

ByCody Fitzpatrick

Published Jan 12, 2018

The Australian Open is just a few days away. The first Slam of the season promises a mix of up-and-comers and established stars, and you'll get to see from Day 1 which group takes control of the fortnight.

Here are three first-round women's matches you won't want to miss:

1

Venus Williams vs. Belinda Bencic

Neither player can be happy about this draw, as this matchup feels more like a fourth-rounder. Williams made two Grand Slam finals last year and led the WTA in prize money. Bencic, on the other hand, is a former No. 7 who is on a 15-match winning streak. Her comeback has churned out four titles, and at the Hopman Cup she beat Naomi Osaka, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and CoCo Vandeweghe.

Advertising

2

Simona Halep vs. Destanee Aiava

Halep may be the world No. 1, but she hasn't won a match at the Australian Open since 2015. Aiava, the 17-year-old winner of the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff, might not be an easy out. A year ago, Aiava became the first player born in the 2000s to compete in a Grand Slam main draw. Halep, though, won both the singles and doubles titles in Shenzhen last week.

3

Ashleigh Barty vs. Aryna Sabalenka

Barty and Sabalenka have to be two of the WTA's biggest rising stars. Barty, a 21-year-old Australian who'll face Angelique Kerber in the Sydney final on Saturday, brought her singles ranking from No. 271 to No. 17 over the course of 2017. But Sabalenka made the final of Tianjin last fall, giving Maria Sharapova a run for her money. She then finished the year with a 125K Series title in Mumbai.

Advertising

Main-draw action from Melbourne begins on Monday.

Three can't miss opening matches from the women's draw

Three can't miss opening matches from the women's draw

Advertising

JANUARY: THIS MONTH ON TENNIS CHANNEL PLUS

NEW SEASON, MORE TENNIS! Get Tennis Channel Plus now at BuyTCPlus.com

A LOT of tennis action will be played on Tennis Channel Plus from January through June

Starting with January …  gear up for the Australian Open with LIVE tournaments in the lead up to AO, exclusively on Tennis Channel Plus

  1. World Tennis Channel – Adelaide

  2. Australian Open Qualifying

  3. Australian Open (Best 20 Matches of AO will be on-demand)