Five Canadians in main draw at 2025 Australian Open
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The Australian Open draws have been released, with the first round set to begin this weekend in Melbourne.
Several Canadians are in the field in both the men’s and women’s draws, looking for strong showings at the season’s first Grand Slam.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is the only seeded Canadian in the men’s draw, coming in at No. 29. The Montreal native will take on world No. 42 Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round.
The two have gone head-to-head four times on the ATP Tour, with each player winning two matches. Struff won the most recent clash between the two, defeating Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-final in Munich last April. However, the Canadian holds a 2-1 advantage in their matches on hard court, including wins at the Paris Masters (2023) and Rotterdam (2020).
Auger-Aliassime reached the third round at the Australian Open last year but fell to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. The 24-year-old’s best performance in Melbourne came in 2022, when he reached the quarter-final before falling to Medvedev in a thrilling five-set match.
If he were to advance, former world No. 6 lines up for a possible third-round match with current No. 6 Casper Ruud and a potential fourth-round match with No. 12 Tommy Paul.
Auger-Aliassime has advanced to the semifinals at the Adelaide International, his final tune-up prior to the Australian Open. He will face Paul in a match scheduled for Friday at 12:30 a.m. ET.
Watch Auger-Aliassime vs. Paul LIVE at 12:30 a.m. ET/ 9:30 p.m. PT with a subscription to TSN+
Denis Shapovalov makes his eighth appearance at the Australian Open and will take on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round. Shapovalov has won all three matches between the two, including both matches in 2024.
Shapovalov, ranked No. 58 in the world, is looking to bounce back in Melbourne after he was ousted in the first round by Jakub Mensik last year. After reaching a career-best rank of No. 10 in 2020, Shapovalov has struggled with injury over the past two seasons and said that his main motivation for this season is to once again reach elite status on tour.
“It's the only thing that's kept me in the game, to be honest, trying to get back to the top level of where I was, or trying to go even further,” Shapovalov told ATPTour.com. “When I stopped with my injury, I told my team, I told my family, that it's not interesting for me to be back and to be an average player. I've been at the top of the game. I've achieved a lot, I think, in my short career.
“So, for me, it's either trying to push those limits and go even further, or to stop. For me to be just a mediocre player, it's not for me. It's not interesting.”
If he were to get past Bautista Agut, Shapovalov faces potential matchups with No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti, hard-serving American Ben Shelton, and No. 4 Taylor Fritz.
Gabriel Diallo is making his first appearance in the main draw at the Australian Open and will battle Luca Nardi in the first round. It will be the first matchup between the two.
Diallo made a surprise run to the third round at the US Open last summer and looks to once again make a run at a Grand Slam.
After improving his rank from No. 139 to No. 86 last season, including reaching his first event final at the Almaty Open this past October, the Montreal native is primed to continue climbing the ladder.
The 23-year-old’s potential draw includes No. 19 Karen Khachanov, who beat him in the Almaty Open final, No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, and No. 8 Alex de Minaur.
Leylah Annie Fernandez is the highest-seeded Canadian in the women’s draw at No. 30. She will take on Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round. It will be their first career meeting.
The 22-year-old Fernandez has historically struggled at the year’s first Grand Slam, winning just two of her seven matches in Melbourne and never advancing past the second round.
Fernandez’s draw includes potential meetings with No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 16 Jelena Ostapenko.
The Montreal native reached the main draw at the Adelaide International last week, defeating Irina-Camelia Begu and Jodie Anna Burrage in qualifying, but fell to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round.
Rebecca Marino is the final Canadian in the singles draw in Melbourne. She will take on No. 22 Katie Boulter in her opening match. The two have faced off twice in their careers, with Boulter winning both previous matches.
The 34-year-old Marino is making her ninth appearance in the Australian Open main draw and will attempt to move past the first round for the first time since 2021.