The China Mail - Hungry Alcaraz, focused Sabalenka target Australian Open glory

The first major of the year gets under way as a 15-day event for the third time running, aimed at cutting down on late-night finishes.

Top seed Alcaraz is desperate to win it, having failed to go past the quarter-finals in four previous trips to Australia.

The title is the only one missing from his major collection, which currently consists of two French Opens, two US Opens and two Wimbledons.

"This is my main goal for this year," Alcaraz, who gets under way in the night match on Rod Laver Arena against home player Adam Walton, said.

"I'm just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here."

He has met the 79th-ranked Walton once before, at Queen's in London last year, when he won 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

Should the 22-year-old complete the career Slam he would join an exclusive club as just the sixth man to win all four major titles after Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver.

He would also become the youngest, surpassing Nadal, who was 24 at the time.

But he has a big roadblock in front of him, with Italy's Jannik Sinner the two-time defending champion and in peak physical condition.

Sinner, who beat Alexander Zverev in last year's final and went on to win Wimbledon, opens against France's Hugo Gaston, who he has met twice before but not since 2021.

"We worked a lot physically," Sinner said of his pre-season. "The physical part now is so, so important because the matches can get very long and also very intense.

"You have to be at the top physical level as long as you can."

Assuming he gets that far, Sinner could meet 10-time champion Djokovic in the semi-finals before a potential clash with Alcaraz for the title.

Djokovic would surpass Margaret Court as the outright Slam leader on 25 titles should he turn back the clock and upstage his younger rivals.

He has a tricky opener against Spain's Pedro Martinez.

Zverev, in the same half of the draw as Alcaraz, is also in action Sunday against Canadian Gabriel Diallo.

World number 10 Alexander Bublik takes on American Jenson Brooksby.

- Sabalenka hot favourite -

Top-ranked Sabalenka kicks off against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, preceding Alcaraz onto Rod Laver Arena.

The Belarusian went into last year's final aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Opens.

But she was stunned by Madison Keys, a setback she admitted "took me a little time to recover" from.

"I'm not really focusing on that result last year," said Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane title last week. "But of course I would like to do just a little bit better than I did last year."

Keys failed to really kick on from clinching a maiden Grand Slam and is in Australia as the ninth seed.

She will need to improve after clocking up nearly 50 unforced errors in her early exit at the warm-up Adelaide International.

She meets debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine and could face Jessica Pegula in the last 16 and Amanda Anisimova in the last eight.

"I'm really trying to push myself to kind of evolve and add more things to my game," said the American.

Sabalenka's chief rival, six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek is, like Alcaraz, angling for a career Grand Slam in Melbourne.

"Obviously it would be a dream come true," said the Polish star, who is yet to go beyond the semi-finals.

She will begin against Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, 12th seed Elena Svitolina and veteran Venus Williams are also in action on Sunday.

S.Davis--ThChM