Blinkova produced one of the moments of the 2024 Australian Open, when she won a 42-point match tiebreak against Elena Rybakina in the third round. Blinkova will face a different kind of challenge from the partisan crowd on Margaret Court Arena, as Saville attempts to reach the second round at her home major for the second time.

The fact that both players had a rather successful 2024, ending the year at the top in the men’s and women’s rankings, respectively, have made them favourites to win the Australian Open — dubbed the H