First hit-outs of the new year don’t come much tougher than a pair of grand slam champions standing toe to toe.
On Monday, it will be 2011 US Open champion and home favourite Sam Stosur taking on reigning French Open champion Garbine Muguruza on Pat Rafter Arena in the opening round of their Brisbane International campaigns.
After a rollercoaster 2016, Stosur is tasked with a mighty hurdle if she is to go on to reach her first quarterfinal in six appearances in Brisbane.
The 32-year-old Queenslander and the fourth seed have split their two meetings, with both matches played on clay.
The Spaniard took down Stosur in the semifinals in Paris last year before going on to upset Serena Williams to land her maiden grand slam title.
She has since struggled to emulate that form and is wary of what Stosur is capable of conjuring.
“She is very powerful, she hits very hard and serves very well and has a lot of talent,” Muguruza said. “She is always a difficult opponent and she’s here at home.”
Stosur will be one of three Queenslanders beginning 2017 in their home state on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday.
World No.26 Bernard Tomic will have his work cut out when he opens against Spanish eighth seed David Ferrer.
The Australian No.2 upset world No.5 Kei Nishikori en route to the semifinals in Brisbane last year and will favour his odds against former world No.3 Ferrer, who has since seen his ranking slide to No.21.
Ferrer holds a 3-2 head-to-head record – all on hard courts – however, Tomic won their two most recent encounters at Indian Wells and Shanghai in 2015.
Tennis breakthroughs at last year’s Rio Olympic Games don’t come any bigger than that of Monica Puig. The world No.32 pulled off the unthinkable when she upset Angelique Kerber to claim the Olympic gold medal, Puerto Rico’s first gold medal in any Olympic sport.
Her opponent on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday, sixth seed Elina Svitolina, also produced her biggest win in Rio when she stunned top seed Serena Williams to reach the quarterfinals. Under the guidance of former world No.1 Justine Henin, the Ukrainian captured her fourth title at Kuala Lumpur last season.
Brisbane local Ash Barty continues her comeback on Monday night when she opens against Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic. The 20-year-old returned to tennis last year, having enjoyed a successful stint as a cricket all-rounder for the Brisbane Heat.
It will be her first appearance at her home tournament since 2014. That year, she stunned former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova in the first round.
Former Brisbane finalist Grigor Dimitrov also makes his return to Pat Rafter Arena tonight with the seventh seed taking on American world No.33 Steve Johnson. The 25-year-old Bulgarian reached three finals in 2016, more than halving his ranking from a low of No.40 in July to finish the season ranked No.17.
He leads the duo’s head-to-head record 3-2, winning their two most recent clashes in Beijing and Cincinnati last year, both on hard courts. Johnson bagged his first tour title in 2016 and claimed the Olympic doubles bronze medal with Jack Sock.
Tickets to all sessions are on sale now via Ticketek.