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The first day of the 2024 Australian Open promises to be a cracker, with several young prospects like Leylah Fernandez, Brenda Fruhvirtova, and Alycia Parks set to be in action.
While the Canadian won her first match in four Melbourne appearances last year, the Czech and the American are yet to notch their maiden wins at the tournament. Against that background, the young guns will have a lot to play for on Sunday (January 14).
Without further ado, let's take a look at how some of the youngsters' matches at the 2024 Australian Open will pan out:
#1 Leylah Fernandez vs Sara Bejlek
Leylah Fernandez has struggled to follow up her 2021 US Open runner-up finish over the last few years. The former World No. 13 comes into the Australian Open with plenty of confidence though, having guided Canada to the 2023 BJK Cup title.
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Sara Bejlek, meanwhile, had to qualify for this year's Melbourne Slam. The 17-year-old won all three of her matches in straight sets to reach her fourth-career Grand Slam main draw.
The Canadian and the Czech have never met on the WTA Tour, so their first-round match will certainly be challenging considering they will have little idea about what to expect. Fernandez, however, has much more experience than Bejlek at winning matches at Majors, which gives the 21-year-old unassailable odds at going through to the second round.
Pick: Fernandez in straight sets.
#2 Brenda Fruhvirtova vs Ana Bogdan
Czech Republic's Brenda Fruhvirtova, who qualified for the Australian Open for the second year in a row, will be eager to win her first match ever in Melbourne.
The 16-year-old will have her work cut out against former World No. 39 Ana Bogdan, a WTA Tour veteran. The Romanian has been playing at a good level since last September, winning a WTA 250k tournament in Parma and reaching the quarterfinals at the tour-level event in Cluj-Napoca.
The two players have never met on the WTA Tour. They both boast of aggressive groundstrokes and underpowered serves. The player who wins more return points will most likely be the victor.
Pick: Bogdan in three sets.
#3 Alycia Parks vs Daria Snigur
Alycia Parks has had a quiet time on the WTA Tour since winning her maiden pro title in Lyon last year. The World No. 31 has lost 11 of her last 18 competitive matches but will be hopeful of a reversal of fortunes at next week's Australian Open.
Daria Snigur qualified for only her second Grand Slam main draw this year. The Ukrainian lefty mostly plies her trade on the ITF circuit, with her most recent title coming last October in Glasgow.
The two youngsters are yet to face off on the WTA Tour. The contrast between the American's big-hitting and the Ukrainian's counterpunching will likely make for a close match.
Pick: Snigur in three sets.
#4 Alize Cornet (Former Australian Open quarterfinalist) vs Maria Timofeeva
Former World No. 11 Alize Cornet recently hinted that the 2024 WTA Tour season will likely be her last. In that aspect, the 2022 quarterfinalist would want to go deep in her Melbourne swan song.
Cornet's opponent, Maria Timofeeva, is 13 years younger than her. That, however, didn't deter the Russian from qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open with relative ease.
The two players have never met on the WTA Tour. While Cornet is far from the player she used to be, the 33-year-old will likely have enough in her tank to deny her 20-year-old opponent in their first-round encounter.
Pick: Cornet in three sets.
