Olivia Gadecki may be sitting in Melbourne wishing she’d been handed a more favourable draw for the 2025 Australian Open — but more likely, the rising star Ash Barty said “breathes life into Australian tennis” is likely just keen to get things underway.
It is a tricky path for the 22-year-old Queensland star who, for the time being, sits atop the Aussie women’s rankings; a throne she claimed from Daria “Dasha” Saville late in 2024.
First up is Alex De Minaur’s fiance, no.22 seed British Katie Boulter.
Then, should Gadecki prevail, 15th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and fourth-seed Jasmine Paolini would be her second and third-round rivals. Paolini especially would be a brutally tricky matchup, with the Italian star coming off a 2024 calendar campaign that saw her finish runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Gadecki’s glamorous run past Paolini — should the miracle Melbourne march come off — would then see her meet with fellow Aussie hopeful Emerson Jones’ first-round opponent, no.6-ranked Elena Rybakina.
All in all, a seed-soaked bracket draw Gadecki will have to shine in to navigate.
No great surprise then that Gadecki is fetching $501 to win it all.
She has the gumption and skills to go far though: Just ask our last Aussie champ, Barty.
“Liv brings genuine life into Australian tennis,” the three-time Grand Slam winner said back in 2023.
“She’s the one who injected oxygen back into my career and I know she has had a unique journey
“I can see it in her eyes: She has got the hunger [to win] and the desire and it is about her now putting her head down and finding the ways to enjoy it and keep it alive and keep it fun.”
Gadecki too just seems eager to get out there and play in front of her Australian fans, many of whom have turned out in droves to see her play in 2023 (when she made the second round) and last year.
“It’s such an incredible atmosphere out there,” she said, before then adding she couldn’t wait to hit Melbourne Park again once Tuesday rolled around. “There’s nothing like playing in front of a home crowd, them behind you. It’s quite electric.”
Gadecki has very few points to defend in Melbourne and currently sits ranked 79th.
