Australian Open 2018: 5 first round matches to watch

The Australian Open 2018 draw was revealed on Thursday, January 11 in Melbourne. While last year’s women’s singles champion Serena Williams wouldn’t be returning to defend her title, last year’s 'Comeback Player of the Year', Roger Federer begins his title defence against Slovenian Aljaz Bedene.

The draw ended up throwing up a bunch of interesting ties to keep us glued to our television screens and we take a look at five first round matches to watch when the Australian Open main rounds begin on Monday, January 15.

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#5 Novak Djokovic vs Donald Young

It’s the much-awaited return of Novak Djokovic, as he comes back to his favorite hunting ground after an injury-ridden 2017 season. The former World No. 1, now ranked 12th and seeded 14th, faces World No. 63 Donald Young as he begins his quest for a record seventh Australian Open title.

It remains to be seen if he has recovered completely and is fit enough to go all the way, but it would be something if he could do what Roger Federer did last season.

#4 Maria Sharapova vs Tatjana Maria

Maria vs Maria

Another comeback is on as Maria Sharapova returns to Melbourne after missing out on the last edition owing to her suspension. She has had a somewhat controversial return from suspension but she began to show glimpses of her game that elevated her to the spotlight with a victory over the current World No. 1, Simona Halep in the first round of the 2017 US Open.

She faces a somewhat comfortable opponent in Tatjana Maria but owing to her current ranking of 47, she has the prospects of facing tougher opponents such as Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza in the first week of the fortnight.

#3 Kyle Edmund vs Kevin Anderson

Britain's only hope in men's tennis

With former World No. 1 Andy Murray out of the Australian Open, Great Britain's only hope in men’s singles is the World No. 49 Kyle Edmund. He has been making steady progress on the ATP circuit, with his best performance in a Grand Slam being a fourth round finish at the 2016 US Open.

He carries his nation’s hopes on his shoulders and it isn’t any easier for him as he faces last year’s US Open runner-up, Kevin Anderson. The South African had a strong finish to the 2017 season, and the World No.11 could have possibly ended it with a Grand Slam, if not for Rafael Nadal, who had an impressive year of his own. It would be interesting to see how the Briton copes with the pressure.

#2 Andrey Rublev vs David Ferrer

David Ferrer is still a challenge at the age of 35

A Next Gen superstar meets a veteran of the sport in this encounter as the 30th seed Andrey Rublev from Russia faces Spain’s David Ferrer. Rublev had a breakout season last year – his US Open performance was appreciated by the masses as he reached the US Open quarter-finals defeating players like Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin, eventually losing to Rafael Nadal. He then went on to the final of the first-ever Next Gen ATP Finals, losing to South Korean Hyeon Chung.

Ferrer, on the other hand, has been struggling for form over the last two seasons, but he is still a sizeable opponent and with more than 700 career wins, this match has the potential to go all the way and entertain the crowd.

#1 Venus Williams vs Belinda Bencic

It isn't a Grand Slam if you don't discuss about the Williams sisters

This is THE match of the first round. A Grand Slam wouldn’t be complete without discussing about the Williams sisters. While defending champion Serena Williams misses the tournament, older sister Venus has been in resurgent form over the last few years and the World No. 5 is certainly one of the favourites for the title.

Her opponent, however, is not one to be taken lightly, as Belinda Bencic from Switzerland is back again, and looks all set to continue her meteoric rise, that had halted in 2017. Having made a Top-10 debut in 2016, she wasn’t able to sustain her form. Injuries happened and loss of form followed. 2018, however, started on a bright note – she teamed up with Swiss great Roger Federer en route to the Hopman Cup title in Perth, and she would be looking to continue that form, as she continues her recovery and ascendancy on the WTA circuit.