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Brisbane draw: World No.1 Sabalenka leads field, Jabeur returns to action

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Sabalenka, Jabeur - 2024 Wimbledon
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World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka

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Brisbane: Draws | Scores | Order of Play

The singles main draw for the outdoor hard-court event was released on Saturday, with No.1 seed Sabalenka at the top of the bracket. The 16 seeded players received first-round byes in the 48-player main draw.

Sabalenka, who finished as year-end World No.1 for the first time in 2024, will be attempting to go one better in Brisbane than she did last year, when she finished as runner-up to Elena Rybakina

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Find the full main draw here!

First quarter

After her first-round bye, Sabalenka will face either Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova

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of Mexico in the second round. Sabalenka could meet No.15 seed
Yulia Putintseva
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in the Round of 16 if seeds hold.

At the bottom of this quarter, No.7 seed Jelena Ostapenko

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could also meet in the Round of 16. Former World No.1 Azarenka is a two-time Brisbane champion and holds a 18-3 career win-loss record at the tournament.

Second quarter

Paula Badosa

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or Rebecca Sramkova
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in the second round.

In the same section, unseeded Ons Jabeur

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at Toronto in August. Jabeur, who had a shoulder injury end her 2024 season prematurely, will face Zheng Saisai in the first round and could meet No.14 seed
Ekaterina Alexandrova
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in the second round.

17-year-old Mirra Andreeva

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, in the Round of 16.

Third quarter

In this quarter, No.3 seed Daria Kasatkina

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or
Peyton Stearns
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in the second round.

No.6 Anna Kalinskaya

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are the next-highest seeds in this quarter, and they could square off in the Round of 16 if they each win their opening match.

Fourth quarter

2024 WTA Most Improved Player Emma Navarro

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or a qualifier in the second round.

Another of last year's contenders for the Most Improved Player award, No.5 seed Diana Shnaider

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