Australian Open 2025 Draw: Coco Gauff's projected path to the final ft. potential Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka clashes

The 2025 Grand Slam season is all set to kickstart with the 2025 Australian Open. The draws for both men's and women's sections have been put out, and the top players are all set to take center stage in Melbourne from January 12.

Coco Gauff is the third seed in the women's division and one of the frontrunners to win the title. The American star continued her newfound form from the latter half of the 2024 season and made a great start in 2025. Gauff won all five United Cup matches and guided her country to the title.

Her best result at Melbourne was the run to the semifinal last year, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. However, given her form, World No. 3 will look to take that extra step.

Let's take a look at the potential opponents Gauff might face on her way to the final.

Coco Gauff's 1R opponent- Sofia Kenin

Gauff is all set to begin her Australian Open campaign with an all-American clash with Sofia Kenin, a former Australian Open champion. Kenin was a former Top 10 player, but her form and rankings have fallen in recent years.

2025 did not start well for Kenin, as she had a second-round loss to Clara Tauson at the ASB Classic. However, the American player is currently in action at the Hobart International, where she is slated to play Maya Joint in the quarterfinal.

Kenin has a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head over Gauff. The last time the two Americans met was at the first round of the 2023 Wimbledon. Kenin won 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Coco Gauff's potential 2R opponent- Jodie Burrage

Gauff's second-round opponent at the 2025 Australian Open could potentially be the UK's Jodie Burrage. The British player mostly played on the ITF Circuit last year, where she won a title in Dubai at the end of the season.

The Brit made a decent start to the 2025 season. She qualified for the main draw at the ASB Classic. She won her first-round match against Vivian Yang but fell in three sets to Hailey Baptiste in the next round.

Gauff has a 1-0 lead over Burrage in their rivalry. The pair met only once at the 2023 Eastbourne International, with the American player winning 6-1, 6-1.

Coco Gauff's potential 3R opponent- Leylah Fernandez

Gauff will potentially face seeded opposition for the first time in Melbourne in the third round, where she might potentially take on 30th seed Leylah Fernandez. The Canadian had a middling year, reaching one final in Eastbourne where she lost to Daria Kasatkina.

Fernandez's season in 2025 has been a mixed bag. At the United Cup, she won her match against Donna Vekic but lost to Gauff in the next round. The former Grand Slam finalist then entered the Adelaide International, where she reached the quarterfinal, losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Gauff leads the Canadian 1-0 in the head-to-head, with the United Cup encounter last month being the only fixture between the two players. The American won 6-3, 6-2.

Coco Gauff's potential 4R opponent- Jelena Ostapenko

Gauff will potentially face the big-hitting Latvian, Jelena Ostapenko, in the fourth round in Melbourne. The former French Open champion had a good 2024 season, as she won titles in Adelaide and Linz.

In 2025 it has been a shaky start for Ostapenko. She lost her first match of the season to Marie Bouzkova at the Brisbane International. She then could not defend her title in Adelaide as she lost to Madison Keys in three sets in the second round of the Adelaide International.

Gauff has a 2-1 lead over Ostapenko in their rivalry. The last time the two players met was at the 2023 US Open, which the American won 6-0, 6-2. However, the same year the pair also met at the Australian Open. On this occasion, it was the Latvian who won 7-5, 6-3.

Coco Gauffs's potential QF opponent- Jessica Pegula

Coco Gauff might face more American opponents when she takes on Jessica Pegula in a potential quarterfinal clash at the Australian Open. 2024 was a pathbreaking year for Pegula as she reached four finals, including her maiden Major final at the US Open. The American won titles in Toronto and Berlin.

Pegula has made a decent start to the 2025 season so far. At Adelaide International, she has reached the semifinal, with wins over Maria Sakkari and Ashlyn Krueger.

Pegula has a 4-2 lead over Gauff in their respective head-to-head. However, the last time the American duo played each other was at the 2024 WTA Finals, which Gauff won 6-3, 6-2.

Coco Gauff's potential SF opponent- Aryna Sabalenka

Gauff will most likely take on defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal, which will be a rematch of last year's semifinal lineup. Sabalenka is currently the top-ranked female player in the world, having won four titles last year, including two Majors.

The Belarusian has already announced herself on the Tour this year by winning her 18th career title at the Brisbane International. The top seed won against Russian qualifier Polina Kedrmetova in three sets in the final.

Even though Gauff lost to the top seed in last year's Melbourne semifinal, overall she leads 5-4 in the head-to-head. In their last clash at the WTA Finals, the American won 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Coco Gauff's potential Final Opponent- Iga Swiatek/ Elena Rybakina

Gauff might either face second seed Iga Swiatek or sixth seed Elena Rybakina. Both players had excellent 2024 seasons, as the Pole won five titles in the year, and the Kazakh won three titles.

Both Rybakina and Swiatek played at the United Cup in preparation for Melbourne. Rybakina won three matches before she fell to Swiatek in the semifinals. On the other hand, Swiatek won four straight matches to take Poland to the final, falling short against Gauff in the final.

Gauff has played Rybkina only once in her career, at the 2022 Canadian Open. The American won the match 6-4, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3). Against Swiatek, Gauff trails 3-11 in the head-to-head, but the American won the last encounter at the United Cup 6-4, 6-4.

Edited by Tushhita Barua