Aussie lucky loser Rinky Hijikata is looking to build some early-season momentum, but Belgian veteran David Goffin looms as a tough first-round opponent at the Adelaide International.
The pair met for the first time last year in the Winston-Salem quarter-finals, where Goffin powered to a 6-3 6-1 result.
That was part of a late-2024 surge from former top-10 star Goffin, climbing back to No.53 with subsequent quarter-final runs at the Shanghai Masters and Swiss Indoors.
But the 34-year-old was trounced 6-2 6-3 by Aleksandar Vukic at the Brisbane International in his first 2025 hit-out.
Hijikata went down 6-3 6-3 to Novak Djokovic first up in Brisbane. He won his first Adelaide qualifier against Omar Jasika then going down to Adam Walton.
World No.79 Hijikata’s 2024 highlights included four ATP quarter-finals and he closed out 2024 with two Challenger finals, but he’s looking for his first ATP main draw win since September.
While he looked very rusty against Vukic, $1.60 favourite Goffin looks the more reliable option in this one.
Perth wildcard Tristan Schoolkate gets his Adelaide International foray underway against eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
World No.173 Schoolkate rose to prominence on grand slam debut at the US Open, beating Taro Daniel in five sets before going down to Jakub Mensik in five.
This is the 23-year-old’s first ATP-level match since, pounding the Challenger circuit – with moderate results – in late-2024 and getting bounced in Brisbane International qualifying by Mikahil Kukushkin last week.
World No.39 Etcheverry makes his first tour appearance of 2025, having finished last season on a disappointing 4-6 run after a third-round exit at the US Open.
At the United Cup, he lost to Alex de Minaur and came from a set down to beat Billy Harris.
The Argentinian is a bona fide clay specialist, but he did make it to the last 32 at last year’s Australian Open after bowing out in the first round in Adelaide.
A second tour-level win is not beyond $3.30 underdog Schoolkate, but Etcheverry should be good enough to get the job done in straight sets.
Aussie stalwart Daria Saville confronts a tough first-up assignment at the Hobart International in the form of enigmatic American Amanda Anisimova.
Saville is coming off a Brisbane International qualifying loss to world No.209 Anastasiya Konstantinovna Soboleva.
The 112th-ranked veteran finished 2024 with a W60 title win in Sydney as the top seed, but she hasn’t won a WTA-level match since Wimbledon.
Anisimova was a first-round loser in Auckland, going down to Alycia Parks after winning the first set.
But the injury-prone 23-year-old finished 2024 back inside the top 40 on the back of her stunning surge to the Canadian Masters final via three top-10 wins.
After going toe-to-toe with fellow power hitter Parks, Anisimova should find the going somewhat easier against Saville.
Grand slam finalists Danielle Collins and Ons Jabeur square off in the Adelaide International’s first round as they look to build a form base ahead of the Australian Open.
Collins has crafted a 3-1 lead in the rivalry after wins at the 2022 Miami Open and last year’s Charleston Open. Jabeur’s sole victory over the American was at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters.
Jabeur has slipped to No.40 after spending much of previous two years entrenched in the top 10.
But in her first outing since August, the 30-year-old impressed by reaching the quarter-finals in Brisbane – ultimately going down to Mirra Andreeva in two tight sets.
Collins’ remarkable 2024 resurgence – highlighted by a Miami Masters triumph – hit an injury snag and she hasn’t won a tour-level match since withdrawing from the Olympic quarter-finals.
The world No.11 makes her first appearance since a jarring straight-sets loss to Olivia Gadecki in Guadalajara.
Collins has a strong affinity with Australia having reached a slam final in 2021, but with some solid tennis under her belt already this year Jabeur is the standout pick in this high-profile encounter.