WTA PREVIEW | 2024 Australian Open: Iga SWIATEK aims to seal elusive title, Aryna SABALENKA defends as OSAKA, KERBER and RADUCANU all return

The Australian Open is set for 14-28 January and now the draw has been completed and the dust has settled. Our preview takes a look at the WTA side to the draw and the main storylines ahead of the next two weeks.

Top seed is Iga Swiatek but as well as the World No.1 not ever winning the tournament Down Under, she has never even reached the final. This though strengthens her World Number One charge as she won't drop as many points as Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina may having won and reached the final last year.

As ever, the WTA side of the draw is the most open, but perhaps not this year compared to usual with three players standing out in the start of the season in Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina who just so happen to be the main protagonists for the title.

Sabalenka reached the final of Brisbane albeit was easily beaten by Elena Rybakina, but both up until the final didn't drop a set all week and under the same format as those tournaments, it could serve up the key to both once again coming through. The former has a better run in with a qualifier up first.

While Rybakina could have a decision that comes back to help or hinder her as she is playing this week in Adelaide after winning Brisbane so emphatically and then opens up against Karolina Pliskova in the opening round. Either genius or one move that will come back to bite the Kazakh. She is seemingly playing a lot to soften the blow if she loses ranking points from Melbourne so either way her ranking is unlikely to be affected.

As ever for Swiatek, it could be seen as a free roll as she has never reached the final so winning it would extend her lead even further to the chasing pack and see her claim a title she has never won. It is a tough first few assignments with Sofia Kenin, the former champion followed by either Danielle Collins (a former finalist) or Angelique Kerber who unlike Swiatek has won the title previously. It gets a bit more simpler after that, but it is very much get through the opening rounds and the title could unlock itself.

Also not discounting Coco Gauff who won Auckland and again looked ultra impressive in doing so as well as Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari and Ons Jabeur. Albeit many haven't really played since the end of the season so the gauge like in the men's tournament is off for now.

Most of the standout clashes in the opening round also feature big name returnees with the women's Australian Open heralding many coming back from either becoming mothers or breaks due to injury meaning spotlights will be on the first round more than ever.

As alluded to Kerber returns and will face Danielle Collins. She won one match in winning the United Cup, but got top match practice including against Iga Swiatek in a real gauge of her current form. Naomi Osaka, the multiple Australian Open winner will return and face Frenchwoman, Caroline Garcia in one of the ties of the round.

Osaka played in Brisbane and lost to Karolina Pliskova, but at times showed she hadn't lost a step. Amanda Anisimova has been practicing with Osaka and will also return to face Liudmila Samsonova after taking time off herself for mental health reasons citing also tiredness and fatigue from tour rigours. Caroline Wozniacki returns for the first time since the US Open in the place where she initially retired.

Elina Svitolina played in Auckland but was also out since the US Open and was the story of the 2023 season, she makes her Australian return. While Emma Raducanu after escaping qualifying will face Shelby Rogers in the opening round in a kind draw after making her return also recently.

A lot of the stories at least in the early part of the tournament could come from returning faces making their mark again and it shows the potential the WTA could have at the top still alongside the current leading lights.