Australian Open 2016 Draw: Complete Seedings and Bracket Analysis

Merlisa Lawrence CorbettJan 14, 2016

The draw for the 2016 Australian Open is out, and the first round promises to get the tournament off to a sizzling start.

A sequel to an Aussie Classic, an Australian legend against a compatriot and Serena Williams facing another feisty Italian are just a few of the opening-round matchups that kick off the 104th instalment of the Australian Open, which gets underway Monday, January 18.

Top seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are set to defend their titles. Repeating won't be easy.

On the men's side, Djokovic will try to win his fifth Australian Open title in six years. He is the only member of the Big Four to win the Aussie Open since Roger Federer in 2010.

Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are vying to end a mini-slump for three members of the Big Four. Over the past two years, Djokovic has won four Grand Slams in comparison to just one by the balance of the Big Four.

Meanwhile, players such as Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic hope to win their first Grand Slam. Perennial runners-up such as Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are as eager as the younger players to hoist a Slam trophy. Could this be their year?

On the women's side, with Flavia Pennetta retired and Lucie Safarova out with an illness, Venus Williams moved up to the No. 8 seed. It's the first time since 2010 that both Williams sisters entered this tournament seeded in the Top 10.

Both Serena and Venus were dealt a doozy of a first-round opponent. Serena gets Camila Giorgi, and Venus drew former Aussie citizen Johanna Konta, who reached the fourth round at the 2015 U.S. Open.

They also face challenges from rising stars No. 3 Garbine Muguruza and No. 9 Karolina Pliskova. These ladies represent a wave of younger players hoping to break up the grip the 30-something and nearly 30-year-old stars have on Slams.

Still, those who already own Grand Slam hardware remain the players to beat.

To win, they must navigate the path plotted for them. The following is a preview and complete analysis of the 2016 Australian Open draw.

Top Seeds

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PAUL CROCK/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic poses with the 2015 Australian Open trophy along the Yarra River in downtown Melbourne.

You can see a full list of the 32 men's and women's players here, and see the top 10 seeds in each draw below.

Men

Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
Roger Federer
Stan Wawrinka
Rafael Nadal
Tomas Berdych
Kei Nishikori
David Ferrer
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
John Isner

Women

Serena Williams
Simona Halep
Garbine Muguruza
Agnieszka Radwanska
Maria Sharapova
Petra Kvitova
Angelique Kerber
Venus Williams
Karolina Pliskova
Carla Suarez Navarro

Men's Favorites with an Easy Draw

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Andy Murray serves during practice ahead of the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic (No. 1)

With the way Djokovic has been playing, is there such thing as a tough draw for him? Djokovic faces Hyeon Chung in the first round. A possible fourth-round meeting with Ivo Karlovic is perhaps the only hiccup on the way to the quarterfinals, where Djokovic is projected to meet Nishikori. Djokovic has a 5-2 record against Nishikori.

Federer is in Djokovic's half of the draw, but the two wouldn't meet until the semifinals.

Andy Murray (No. 2)

Andy Murray seems to have the easiest draw of those in the Big Four. Murray has three notable Australians in his quarter—Sam Groth, John Millman and Bernard Tomic—and after nearly single-handedly defeating the Aussies in the Davis Cup, Murray should have no problems getting through this lot.

Murray takes on the talented German teen Alexander Zverev in the first round. The Brit must be thrilled to have landed on the opposite side of his long-time foes Djokovic and Federer.

Men's Favorites with a Tough Draw

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Rafael Nadal concentrates on the ball during practice before the 2016 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal (No. 5)

Nadal faces compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the first round in a rematch of their epic quarterfinal bout in the 2009 Australian Open. The five-set classic took five hours and 14 minutes.

If Nadal gets by Verdasco, he still has potential matches with Jeremy Chardy and Gael Monfils before a possible quarterfinal test against Stan Wawrinka.

Tomas Berdych (No. 6)

Berdych begins his tournament against Yuki Bhambri of India. No problem there. But Nick Kyrgios, a quarterfinalist last year, may await Berdych in the third round. If he survives Kyrgios, he could face 2014 U.S. Open winner Marin Cilic in the fourth round.

He also has Roger Federer in his quarter.

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Women's Favorites with an Easy Draw

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Simona Halep hits a forehand during the 2016 Apia International in Sydney.

Simona Halep (No.2)

Simona Halep, the silent challenger, always seems to enter tournaments flying under the radar. The Australian Open will be no different as she faces few pitfalls early on.

Halep drew a qualifier for the first round and has Sabine Lisicki in her quarter. On paper, the hard-hitting Lisicki looks like a tough draw. However, Halep is 4-1 against Lisicki, and the German last beat Halep in 2011.

Ana Ivanovic is perhaps the biggest threat to Halep in a potential fourth-round meeting.

Victoria Azarenka (No. 14)

Considered the biggest challenger to Serena, Azarenka has a more than manageable path to the quarterfinals. She opens against Alison Van Uytvanck and could meet American Samantha Crawford in the second round. Azarenka steamrolled Crawford in Brisbane earlier in January.

She potentially faces a tough fourth-round matchup against Muguruza. However, Azarenka wouldn't meet Serena or Sharapova unless she reaches the finals.

Women's Favorites with a Tough Draw

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PAUL CROCK/Getty Images

Serena Williams hits a backhand during practice before the Australian Open.

Serena Williams (No. 1)

Camila Giorgi is the highest ranked unseeded player, so technically, Serena Williams could not have drawn a tougher first-round opponent. Williams could face BFF Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round and Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.

Williams's quarter includes Belinda Bencic, Heather Watson and two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. Bencic defeated Williams at the 2015 Rogers Cup.

Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 4)

As if being in Serena's half of the draw wasn't bad enough, Radwanska has Petra Kvitova in her quarter. Getting to the quarterfinals won't be easy.

Radwanska faces American Christina McHale in the first round and possibly 2014 semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard in the second round. She could get Sam Stosur in the third round and Sloane Stephens in the fourth round.

Outlook for the American Men

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Jack Sock hits a backhand during a match at the 2016 Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.

The last American male to win the Australian Open was Andre Agassi in 2003. So who has the best chance of ending the drought?

Isner is the top-seeded American, but Jack Sock is perhaps the most promising. Unfortunately, Sock landed in the same quarter with Nadal and Wawrinka. Isner is in Murray's quarter of the draw. So are Donald Young and Brian Baker.

Isner has the more favorable draw. He opens against big-hitting Jerzy Janowicz. If Isner advances, he could face fellow American Steve Johnson in the fourth round.

For all his success, Isner has never reached a semifinal at a Grand Slam. To accomplish that at this tournament, he'll most likely have to get by David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. The speedy counterpuncher is just the type of player who gives Isner fits.

It will be difficult for any of the American men to reach the second week.

Outlook for the American Women

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MICHAEL BRADLEY/Getty Images

Sloane Stephens poses with the trophy after winning the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

Led by Serena and Venus, the American women look as strong as ever.

With the 2016 season just weeks old, Sloane Stephens has already moved up from No. 30 to No. 24. A semifinalist in 2013, Stephens reached the fourth round in 2014. She's playing a more consistent and heady game these days.

Coco Vandeweghe has a tough opening-round match against fellow American Madison Brengle, while Victoria Duval takes on Elina Svitolina in the first round. Ranked No. 653, Duval missed a year as she battled Hodgkin lymphoma.

Alison Riske has a tough challenge against Belinda Bencic in the first round. So does Venus. It will be interesting to see if the locals get behind Konta, who represented Australia until 2012 and now plays for Great Britain.

Venus and Serena ended up on separate halves of the draw, so they can only meet in the final—an American dream scenario.

Must-See First-Round Matches

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Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal represent Spain at 2011 Davis Cup.

Men:

Rafael Nadal (No. 5) vs. Fernando Verdasco

John Isner (No. 10) vs. Jerzy Janowicz

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 9) vs. Marcos Baghdatis

Lleyton Hewitt vs. James Duckworth

Nick Kyrgios (No. 29) vs. Pablo Carreno Busta (No. 24)

Women:

Serena Williams (No. 1) vs. Camila Giorgi

Venus Williams (No. 8) vs. Johanna Konta

Madison Keys (No. 15) vs. Zarina Diyas

Madison Brengle vs. Coco Vandeweghe

Wildcards to Watch

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SAEED KHAN/Getty Images

Dominika Cibulkova addresses the crowd after finishing runner up at the 2014 Australian Open.

Vasek Pospisil

Vasek Pospisil is making his third appearance at the Australian Open. In the first two, he reached the third round. Last year, at Wimbledon, the Canadian surprised everyone by advancing to the quarterfinals.

Unseeded at the Australian Open, Pospisil opens against No. 14 Gilles Simon. If he can get by Simon, Pospisil could cruise to the fourth round where he would face Djokovic.

Dominika Cibulkova

Dominika Cibulkova was a finalist in 2014 and reached the quarterfinals last year. She has performed better at the Australian Open than she has at any other Grand Slam.

Ranked No. 37, Cibulkova arrives at Melbourne unseeded. This makes her a dangerous floater, especially for ailing top seeds. She has a tricky opener against Kristina Mladenovic.