“But then you also have Coco Gauff, winner of Beijing last week, and China’s Olympic gold medallist and AO 24 finalist Zheng Qinqwen in contention. There’s a real sense of excitement around Zheng, she’s had a brilliant season, has a real chance to be a major force in the women’s draw, and will come into Melbourne with a massive fan base among our Chinese community, as well as a lot of confidence. 

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“The incredible array of talent in the mix includes Slam winners like Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova, not to mention those who’ve reached finals and semis, like Ons Jabeur, Emma Navarro, Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini and even an emerging star like teenager Mirra Andreeva.  

“I’m looking forward to watching Paolini who’s reached the second week of all four majors, including back-toback finals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Her energy and enthusiasm make her great fun to watch and she’ll no doubt have loud support from the Italian fans. 

“There’s just so much quality and depth in the field.”