Six most intriguing first round women’s matches at 2024 Australian Open

The 2024 Australian Open begins this weekend in Melbourne. Here are the six most intriguing first round women’s matches.

(1) Iga Swiatek–POL vs. Sofia Kenin–USA

You don’t see grand slam champions face each other much in the first round, however that is what is happening down under this year. Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open, while Swiatek won the 2020, 2022 and 2023 French Open, and the 2023 United States Open. Swiatek is also number one in the world. Swiatek won their only prior matchup, in the final of the 2020 French Open, 6-4, 6-1.

Danielle Collins–USA vs. Angelique Kerber–GER

This is a battle of a grand slam champion and a grand slam finalist. Collins reached the final of the 2022 Australian Open, and Kerber won the Australian Open and United States Open in 2016, and Wimbledon in 2018. Kerber and Collins have beaten each other once. Kerber won in the third round of Eastbourne in 2018, 6-1, 6-1. Collins won in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2019, 6-0, 6-2.

(3) Elena Rybakina–KAZ vs. Karolina Pliskova–CZE

Here we have Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, against Pliskova, the 2016 United States Open finalist and 2021 Wimbledon finalist. Rybakina won all three prior meetings. She won 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of Dubai in 2020, 7-6, 6-2 in the first round of Guadalajara in 2022, and 6-4, 6-2 in the second round in Abu Dhabi in 2023.

(20) Magda Linette–POL vs. Caroline Wozniacki–DEN

This match features Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion, against Linette, the 2023 Australian Open semifinalist. Wozniacki has won her two prior matches. First, in the quarterfinals of Tokyo in 2016, 6-4, 6-3. Then in the second round of Indian Wells in 2017, 6-3, 6-0.

(16) Caroline Garcia–FRA vs. Naomi Osaka–JPN

Garcia got to the semifinals of the United States Open in 2022, while Osaka won the United States Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. Osaka won their only prior meeting, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open.

Nadia Podoroska–ARG vs. Tamara Zidansek–SLO

Podoroska made the semifinals of the French Open in 2020, and Zidansek made the semifinals of the French Open in 2021. Zidansek has won two prior matches. First came in the second round of Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2016 (6-4, 6-1), and the second came in the semifinals of Hungary in 2016 (6-1, 6-2).