When the summer breeze blows through Melbourne, the annual tennis season is back in full swing in the hot southern hemisphere. During the off-season, many players gathered in a harmonious atmosphere and were determined to start the new season with outstanding performances. From January 12 to 26, the 2025 Australian Open will be held at Melbourne Park. This year marks the 120th anniversary of the tournament, a historic Grand Slam tournament that has seen countless tennis players and legends go all out for their dreams since its inception in 1905.

Photo: ©Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Since 2008, Rolex has been the Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open. Since then, Rolex clocks and chronographs in gold and green have become a striking and unique sight in Melbourne Park. Over the years, Rolex has remained steadfast in its commitment to the global development of tennis.

Women's singles top half: The favorites to win the championship gathered, and Zheng Qinwen met a strong opponent again

Rolex Testimonee Stephens

Pictured: ©Rolex/David Gray

Defending champion and top seed Sabalenka sit in the top half of the Women's Singles draw against Rolex Testimonee Stephens in the first round, and this will be the fifth meeting between the two, with the American without a win before. The 31-year-old's best result at the Australian Open was the semi-finals of the women's singles in 2013, and she also reached the women's singles semi-finals twice in 2014 and 2019.

Rolex Testimonee Zheng Qinwen

Photo: ©Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Sabalenka will be in the quarter-finals with Rolex Testimonee and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, with China's Golden Flower facing qualifier Todoni in the first round, her second-round opponent between Sigmund and Baptiste, and 27th seed Pavlyuchenkova, who is China's Yuan Yue's first-round opponent in the third round. Zheng Qinwen may face No. 18 seed Vekic in the fourth round to repeat the women's singles gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. A year ago, Zheng Qinwen reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, and this time she returns to Melbourne, where she will be hoping to do the same. According to the schedule, Zheng Qinwen will play the opening match of Rod Laver Stadium this Sunday.

"The Australian Open will always have a special meaning for me, because I reached my first Grand Slam final here last year, and the 2022 Australian Open is my first Grand Slam tournament," Zheng said. Everything seems to be going well in Australia and I love the atmosphere of Melbourne Park. When I play at Rod Laver in 2024, Mr. Rod Laver himself is there and it was a pleasant surprise! ”

Rolex Testimonee Gauff

Pictured: ©Rolex/Jon Buckle

Rolex Testimonee and third seed Gauff leads the quarter-finals and will face former tournament champion Kenin in the first round, while another seeded player in the fourth round is another Grand Slam champion Ostapenko. Gauff was in hot form in the first week of the new year, winning all five games in the United Cup, beating Swiatek and Mukhova to help the United States win the United Cup again, and she is currently second in the odds behind Sabalenka.

Garcia, Rolex Testimonee

Pictured: ©Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

The top eight seed in the quarter-2/4 with Gauff is another American player, Pegula. China's Wang Xinyu is also in the zone, and will face 11th seed Badosa in the first round. Rolex Testimonee and France's No. 1 sister Garcia will face two-time champion Naomi Osaka in the opening round, which is definitely one of the most interesting first-round matches, with the two sides having won two of the previous four meetings.

Women's Singles Lower Half: Swiatek is looking to regain No.1, and the Chinese team is not a small challenge

The quarter-finals are guarded by the top eight seeds, Paulini and Rybakina, who will face China's Wei Sijia, who has made his Grand Slam debut in the first round. Former tournament runner-up Rybakina will face homegrown wildcard Jones in the first round and is expected to face another former tournament runner-up, Collins, in the fourth round. China's Zheng Saisai, who is in the zone and faces E. Andreeva in the first round, is competing in the protected rankings for her second Grand Slam tournament since her comeback last year.

Rolex Testimonee Swiatek

Pictured: ©Rolex/Jon Buckle

Rolex Testimonee Swiatek is in the quarter-finals and faces Czech Republic's Siniakova in the first round, Karinskaya in the fourth round and Emma Navarro of the United States in the quarter-finals. Swiatek's best result at the Australian Open, reaching the semi-finals of the Women's Singles in 2022 and reaching the round of 16 three times, will see her chance to regain the number one spot at the Australian Open.

Wang Yafan, Wang Xiyu and Zhang Shuai fell into the 4/4 zone, Wang Xiyu faced Austria's Grabhel in the first round, and Wang Yafan's first-round opponent was Hungary's Bondal. Zhang Shuai won the women's singles main draw at the Australian Open late last year and won a place in the women's singles main draw, where she drew the American Kessler in the first round.

Zheng Qinwen participated in the countdown ceremony of the 2025 Australian Open

Photo: Visual China

After 120 years of operation and cultivation, Melbourne has become a mecca for tennis fans around the world. When tennis meets the summer of Australia, let's look forward to this tennis drama at the beginning of the year and go to a new chapter belonging to the centennial Australian Open!