Emerson Jones, a highly decorated Australian junior, received a wildcard into the Adelaide International main draw last week.

Her first-round opponent, 37th-ranked Wang

Jones – aged 16 – defeated Wang 6-4, 6-0.

She lost in the next round to number 3 seed Daria Kasatkina, but was still able to secure eight games. But now the junior finalist of the Australian Open and Wimbledon 2024 faces a truly daunting task: She will face number six seed Elena Rybakina in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Rybakina was unfamiliar with Jones’ game, but saw a set of hers against Kasatkina on television. It was enough to know what she was dealing with.

“I think she is a good player, a dangerous player,” Rybakina said. “Especially when you’re young, you have nothing to lose. She is at home.

“I definitely think it’s a very tough opponent because you never know what to expect.”

That’s the beauty of tennis, of course. Day 3 shows the remaining games from the bottom half of the draw:

No. 4 Jasmine Paolini vs. (Q) Wei Sijia

Head-to-head: 0-0.

How much has life changed for Paolini after reaching two Grand Slam singles finals and cracking the top five? Being recognized on the street in Italy makes it easier to get a restaurant reservation?

“Sometimes, yes,” Paolini said, smiling. “It’s nice to feel the love of people. Yes, tennis is currently very popular, especially in Italy. People are very focused on tennis. This is something great for us players.”

Paolini took a 2-1 lead in the United Cup game, losing to Karolina Muchova. She has tried to erase the meteoric 2024 season from her memory.

“I try to keep expectations low because I think putting too much pressure on myself is not good for me,” Paolini said. “When I step on the court, I enjoy playing. I think I’m more focused and calmer, I think I can play better.”

The 109th-ranked Wei survived qualifying and defeated Nina Stojanovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) in the final round.

No.6 Elena Rybakina vs (WC) Emerson Jones

Head-to-head: 0-0.

Rybakina was a force at the United Cup, taking Kazakhstan to the semi-finals with three singles wins. There she met Iga Swiatek – a hard-fought 7:6 (5), 6:4 defeat brought Poland into the final.

After a difficult year filled with injuries and illness, Rybakina is putting her health first.

“I definitely need to listen to my body more because no one will know how I feel, not even my team members,” Rybakina said. “As I already have this immune compromised issue, I have had other issues before and I need to make some better decisions in terms of timing. Hopefully I can do better for the season.”

Her uncertain coaching situation could be a distraction, but Rybakina has an 11-5 record in Melbourne and reached the final here two years ago.

No. 8 Emma Navarro vs. Peyton Stearns

Direct comparison: 4:1, Navarro, last year in Bad Homburg, 6:4, 6:1.

Unlike so many games on Tuesday, these two Americans have a history. So far it’s been mostly one-way traffic for Navarro.

She has lost two of three matches in Australia so far, against Kimberly Birrell in Brisbane, and after beating Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (4), 6-4, she lost to Liudmila Samsonova 6-4 in the quarter-finals in Adelaide, 6:4-4, 6-4.

Stearns, ranked 47th, is 3-2 this year, losing to Daria Kasatkina in Brisbane and Paula Badosa in Adelaide.

No.9 Daria Kasatkina vs. Viktoriya Tomova

Head-to-head: 0-0.

Her season began in Brisbane with a three-set win over Peyton Stearns, followed by a three-set loss to qualifier and eventual finalist Polina Kudermetova. Kasatkina, the No. 3 seed in Adelaide this week, defeated Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-3 in a first-round match.

“It feels good to play a two-set game,” Kasatkina said afterwards. “Honestly, I like the way I started the season. I’ve had worse starts, I can’t complain.”

After a win over Australian wild card Jones in the second game, Kasatkina lost in the quarterfinals to eventual winner Madison Keys.

Kasatkina had a great 2024, which put her in the top 10 for the second time of the year.

Tomova is ranked 56th and is 0-2 to start the year.

No. 19 Madison Keys vs. Ann Li

Head-to-head: 0-0.

Keys won her second Adelaide title on Saturday, defeating top seed Jessica Pegula in three sets.

However, this victory could come at a cost. Keys tweaked her left thigh and returned from a medical timeout wearing a protective wrap. That only gives her three days to get ready.

Li, who split four games between Auckland and Hobart and defeated Sloane Stephens twice, is ranked 91st.

No.26 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Emma Raducanu

Head-to-head: 0-0.

Raducanu, suffering from a back injury, withdrew from Auckland in the first week of the season. She finished in 60th place and arrived in Melbourne after a 10-day training block.

“Getting back on the pitch and adapting to the conditions here was good for me,” Raducanu told reporters. “I feel like I can do my best here. This week I played sets with, yes, top players. I feel like I can more than hold my own in these cases and practices.”

About Alexandrova, Raducanu said: “She is a player with a lot of experience. I guess I have the underdog mentality. She’s been in this situation a lot more times than I have.”

Alexandrova is 1-2 so far, losing to Ons Jabeur in Brisbane, beating Leylah Fernandez in Adelaide before losing to Emma Navarro 7-6(4), 6-2.

The seeded players in action on the third day of the Australian Open

(4) Jasmine Paolini vs. (Q) Wei Sijia
(6) Elena Rybakina vs. (WC) Emerson Jones
(8) Emma Navarro vs. Peyton Stearns
(9) Daria Kasatkina vs. Viktoriya Tomova
(13) Anna Kalinskaya vs. (Q) Kimberly Birrell
(15) Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Julia Riera
(19) Madison Keys vs. Ann Li
(22) Katie Boulter vs. Rebecca Marino
(24) Yulia Putintseva vs. Elina Avanesyan
(26) Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Emma Raducanu
(31) Maria Sakkari vs. Camila Osorio
(32) Dayana Yastremska vs. Mayar Sherif