Emma Raducanu has been handed a nightmare draw at the Australian Open - despite being seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time in more than three years.

The British No.1 has had a tough start to 2026 and it's not going to get any easier in Melbourne, with two-time former champion and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka standing in her way.

As the 28th seed, Raducanu doesn’t have to face any other top players until round three. But she has arguably the toughest task of anyone if she gets there, as she’s projected to face Sabalenka. The top seed has a 3-0 unbeaten record against Raducanu, including a third-round win at Wimbledon last year.

Raducanu faces world No. 195 Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round. Thai ace Sawangkaew made her top-100 debut last year but got injured, and has entered the tournament using a protected ranking. Raducanu will then take on Suzan Lamens or Anastasia Potapova in the second round - with Sabalenka looming.

• Tim Henman's Emma Raducanu prediction says it all before Australian Open

• Amateur tennis player shocks Jannik Sinner and wins £500k in '1 Point Slam' in Melbourne

Raducanu, 23, has extended her partnership with Spanish coach Francisco Roig and looked prime for a good year - but things haven’t gone to plan.

A foot issue has caused concern and rain wreaked havoc during her time in Hobart, where Raducanu suffered a shock loss in the quarter-finals. The world No.29 beat Camila Osorio in a match that spanned two days after play was suspended due to rain during the second set.

Raducanu got a walkover to get her place in the quarters when her opponent withdrew. There, she was stunned by world No.204 Taylah Preston. The Aussie wildcard had only won one match on the WTA Tour before this week - now she’s into the semi-finals after beating an out-of-sorts Raducanu 6-2 6-4.

Katie Boulter has also been handed a brutal draw after getting a last-minute lifeline into the tournament also. Down at No.113 in the world rankings after struggling with injuries and a loss of form last year, Boulter was expected to go through qualifying, but got into the main draw following three withdrawals.

But the draw hasn’t been kind to Boulter, who faces an in-form Belinda Bencic. The world No.10 helped Switzerland reach the United Cup finals this month, and was named tournament MVP. A former world No.4 and Olympic gold medallist, Bencic welcomed her first child in April 2024, then made a comeback just over a year ago. She returned to the top 10 this week.

Sonay Kartal will also face a top player in her opening match, coming up against No.31 seed Anna Kalinskaya. Six-time Major winner Iga Swiatek is a potential third-round opponent for the British No.2.

And Francesca Jones will hope to carry her momentum into the Aussie Open after getting the best win of her career over Emma Navarro on her way to the recent Auckland quarter-finals. Now at a career-high ranking of No.69, Jones faces Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova, who is making her Grand Slam main draw debut.