Australian Open draw: Emma Raducanu handed tough first-round match as Katie Boulter and Jack Draper also learn fate | Tennis News

Emma Raducanu is the only Briton to draw a seed at the Australian Open after being paired with Russian Ekaterina Aleksandrova in the first round.

Former US Open champion Raducanu pulled out of her scheduled warm-up tournament in Auckland with a back injury but has been training at Melbourne Park this week.

The British No. 2 will have to be sharp from the start of her campaign after being paired with 26th seed Alexandrova.

Katie Boulterwho was seeded here for the first time at the age of 22, will play Canada's Rebecca Marino hoping to build on her encouraging start to the United Cup season, while the men's 15th seed and British No.1 Jack Draper game against the Argentinian Mariano Navone.

Like Raducanu, Draper's preparations have been disrupted by injury, with a hip problem delaying his trip to Australia, but the US Open semi-finalist will be hoping for another deep run provided his body holds up.

Elsewhere in the draw the British Jacob Fearnley he made his blockbuster debut against Nick Kyrgios.

The British duo of Harriet Dart and Billy Harris will not compete in the first round as they both lost in the final stage of the qualification. Dart defeated Japan's Nao Hibino in straight sets 4-6 5-7. Meanwhile, Harris lost 7-5 6-2 to Poland's Kamil Majchrzak.

Should Draper advance to the fourth round, he could face third seed Carlos Alcaraz, while Novak Djokovic is also in that quarter of the draw.

The Serbian, who has dropped to seventh in the rankings, will have new coach Andy Murray in his box for the first time in his opening match against young American wild card Nises Basavaredi.

Scott Fearnley was still at college in the United States during last year's tournament, but has climbed to No.86 in the world after a stunning start to his professional tennis career, which included beating Djokovic at Wimbledon.

It earned the 23-year-old a place in the main draw at Melbourne Park, and it will be an occasion to remember against home star Kyrgios – provided the former Wimbledon finalist is fit enough to compete.

Kyrgios has not played at his home tournament since 2022 after two years on the sidelines following knee and wrist surgery.

He admitted after returning to the Brisbane International last week that he wasn't sure if his wrist would hold up to best-of-five tennis, while he also has a minor stomach strain.

First seed Jannik Sinner, who is defending his Grand Slam title for the first time, is away from all his rivals in the top half and opens against Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Also in that section is the British number 2 Cameron Norriewho won a tough first match against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.

Jodie Burrage will return to the Grand Slam against a qualifier after last year's wrist and ankle problems, while debutant Sonay Kartal will face Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

The winner of that clash is likely to face two-time defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenko, who has a stunning opener against former US Open winner Sloane Stephens.

Sabalenka is bidding to become just the sixth woman in the Open era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles and the first since Martina Hingis in the 1990s.

The Belarusian is in the same half of the draw as Coco Gauff, who plays first against former champion Sofia Kenin – the player she lost to in the first round of Wimbledon in 2023.

Second seed Iga Swiatek plays Katerina Siniakova, while in a rematch of last year's first round, Naomi Osaka fights against Carolina Garcia.

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