Sorana Cîrstea, Jaqueline Cristian, and Gabriela Ruse have found out their opponents for the first round of the 2026 Australian Open.
Sorana Cîrstea is the only Romanian player avoiding a seeded player in the first round, but the draw doesn’t offer her an easy mission. She will face Eva Lys, ranked 39th in the WTA, at a time when the German player is in the best form of her career. Lys reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open last year.
However, the most challenging task in the first round falls to Jaqueline Cristian. She will play against Karolina Muchova, a former world number 8 and currently ranked 19th in the WTA, a seed at this edition.
The head-to-head record clearly favors the Czech player, who has won all three previous encounters without dropping a set, with Cristian only managing to win a total of 12 games.
Jaqueline is coming off the third round of the previous Australian Open, where she was eliminated by Eva Lys.
Gabriela Ruse will also have a tough start, as she is set to play against Dayana Yastremska, ranked 26th in the WTA. However, the history of their direct meetings favors the Romanian player, who won both previous encounters, at Hamburg 2021 and in the US Open 2023 qualifiers.