Australian Open 2024: Top five debutants to watch out for

Published at :January 11, 2024 at 11:52 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 12:03 AM

(Courtesy : @nextgenfinals/Twitter/X)

Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia tops the chart.

The Australian Open 2024, one of the most prestigious events in the tennis world, is all set to raise its curtains on the 14th of January. This Grand Slam tournament, held annually in Melbourne, Australia, marks the beginning of the tennis season each year and is eagerly awaited by tennis enthusiasts worldwide.

This season Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, and Iga Swiatek are the two top seeds in the Australian Open 2024, which begins on Sunday at Melbourne Park. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed will return to Melbourne Park as the defending champion.

There are some notable absences too, with Rafael Nadal on the men’s side and Karolina Muchova and Madison Keys among the women who will be giving the 2024 Australian Open a miss. The good news is that Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu will be making a comeback in Melbourne.

While the odds are with the top players to succeed at the season-opening Grand Slam tournament, there are quite a few players further afield capable of causing an upset.

Here are five debutants who can upset the apple cart at the Australian Open 2024:

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Top five debutants to watch at Australian Open 2024

Hamad Medjedovic

Hamad Medjedovic will be buoyant after winning the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, defeating Arthur Fils, ranked 36th in the world against Medjedovic’s 110 during the event. The Serbian climbed from World No. 255 at the beginning of 2023 to finish the year as World No. 113 and reached two ATP 250 semifinals at Gstaad and Astana.

The Serbian ran through the field in Jeddah, remaining undefeated to take home a tournament-record $514,000 in prize money.

Abdullah Shelbayh

Abdullah Shelbayh is the first player representing Jordan to win an ATP Tour match In Banja Luka in 2023. Shelbayh, a Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, qualified for the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals. His rise through the rankings was meteoric, climbing 290 spots from 475 at the beginning of 2023 to 185 by the end of the season. Shelbayh is making history as a rising star on the ATP Tour as a Jordanian and an Arab.

Flavio Cobolli

Flavio Cobolli is a next-gen player from Florence, Italy. He made an excellent debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals, downing 2022 semi-finalist Dominic Stricker. Cobolli did not allow his more experienced opponent to faze him, posting a four-set win, 4-2, 3-4(7), 4-1, 4-2.

The Italian climbed to an all-time high ranking of 95 in October 2023, a rapid rise from World No. 886 at the beginning of 2021. The youngster was also in the running for the Newcomer Of The Year Award In 2023.

Mirra Andreeva

Mirra Andreeva did well for herself in 2023, reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon, the Mutua Madrid Open and the China Open. She has proved she is no slouch by beating 14th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova in the 2024 Brisbane International in only 65 minutes.

The Russian teen’s Brisbane run ensured she reached her first WTA quarterfinal but could go no further, losing to Linda Noskova in straight sets. Andreeva was awarded the Newcomer of the Year title in 2023 and enjoyed a huge rankings jump between 2022 and 2023, leaping from No.405 to No.46.

Emma Navarro

The 2023 season was a stand-out year for American Emma Navarro. She achieved a career-best semifinal appearance at the WTA 500 event in San Diego (lost to Sofia Kenin). Navarro ended the season with a career-high ranking of No. 32.

She also reached the quarterfinals on the clay courts of Strasbourg and Palermo and one semifinal on grass at Bad Homburg. Her 2024 campaign got underway at the ASB Classic held in Auckland, where she reached the semis before bowing out to Coco Gauff.

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