The opening round in the women’s draw at the Australian Open 2025 will continue on Monday and Tuesday on January 13-14 with Elena Rybakina, Emma Navarro, Victoria Azarenka and Veronika Kudermetova in action. Here’s the preview, predictions and tips for these matches from Melbourne.
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Elena Rybakina v Emerson Jones Preview
Head-to-Head: This will the first ever meeting between Rybakina and Jones.
Elena Rybakina kick-started the season with a sparkling tennis on court but at the same time there has been some confidence brewing around the suspension of her coach.
How much of that might affect Rybakina remains to be seen, as is the fact at various times during the past few months, the Kazakh has been struggling with her fitness.
On court, Rybakina eased to wins over Jessica Maneiro Bouzas, Maria Sakkari and Laura Siegemund in the United Cup but Iga Swiatek had her number in their semifinal tie.
She should not have a lot of difficulties here playing against the 371st-ranked wildcard Emerson Jones. Jones has been featuring on the lower circuits since 2023 and won her first ever WTA match when she got past Xinyu Wang in the Brisbane International opener.
And now featuring in her first ever Grand Slam, Jones is already looking like she has done more than what a lot of her peers did as 17-year-olds.
Rybakina v Jones prediction: Rybakina to win in straight sets: 2/7
Emma Navarro v Peyton Stearns Preview
Head-to-Head: There have been four ITF and one WTA match between these two players and Navarro won all but one of those. Her only defeat came in their first meeting way back in 2019 and she won in their maiden WTA-level meeting with Stearns last year in Bad Homburg.
In this all-American battle between two, talented, 23-year-olds, Emma Navarro holds the edge on account of her far superior recent performances.
It’s been these very performances that have taken Navarro to a career-high ranking of eighth in the world, having won her maiden, and till date her only WTA title last year in Hobart. As compared to that Stearns’ ranking is still hovering in the 40s.
Navarro did have a poor start to 2025 when she was beaten in her opener at Brisbane by Kimberly Birrell before winning one against Ekaterina Alexanderova in Adelaide. She went down in straight sets to Liudmilla Samsonova after that.
Stearns would have hoped to do a tad better but rather coincidentally, she has also got a 1-2 main draw record for the season. Her only win came against Veronika Kudermetova before she lost to Daria Kasatkina and Paula Badosa in her next two matches.
If Navarro cannot find her rhythm again and quickly at that, it could lead to a fascinating encounter.
Navarro v Stearns prediction: Over 19.5 games in the match: 2/5
Victoria Azarenka v Lucia Bronzetti Preview
Head-to-Head: Azarenka and Bronzetti have never faced off before this.
The world number 22 Victoria Azarenka is a former world number one and an Australian Open winner as well. Her last WTA title, however, came in 2020 when she won the Cincinnati and while she has done well to maintain her ranking in the top 30 since then, there have been no more tournament victories.
Azarenka’s inconsistencies were on display in the only tournament she played in the lead-up to this opening major – she fell in the second match she played at the Brisbane International. After scraping past Maya Joint in her opener, Azarenka was put to the sword by Marie Bouzkova.
Still, it must be quickly added here that Azarenka had made the semifinal of this event as recently as the 2023 edition and was in the fourth round last year.
With her opponent Lucia Bronzetti having had a poor start to the season as well, it stands to reason that Azarenka should be a huge favourite here.
The 26-year-old Bronzetti featured in tournaments in both the weeks, at Auckland and in Hobart, but fell to Madison Keys and Renata Zarazua in their openers.
Azarenka v Bronzetti prediction: Azarenka to win in straight sets: 17/20
Veronika Kudermetova v Olivia Gadecki Preview
Head-to-Head: This will be their first meeting.
It must be a bitter-sweet feeling in the Kudermetova household what with Polina having reached the final of the Brisbane International to kick-start her season while the more experienced and former world number Veronika struggling to get going.
In fact, Veronika Kudermetova’s struggles haven’t been restricted to 2025 alone – where she lost in the first round in Brisbane and made the quarterfinals in Hobart – but were also on display last year.
She ended the season on the back of three successive defeats and in the whole of 2024 won just 16 matches to go with her 25 defeats.
Olivia Gadecki has had it worse though.
She played in the United Cup and lost both her matches – to Katie Boulter and Nadia Podoroska – and was then routed by Daria Kasatkina in Adelaide.
Kudermetova’s form gives her a bit of a chance especially with the home crowds behind her but we still think the Russian should be able to make it through.
Kudermetova v Gadecki prediction: Kudermetova to win in three sets: 3/1
Other Australian Open 2025 Predictions of the Day
- TBA
