This year’s Australian Open could deliver tennis fans the first Grand Slam final showdown between new-generation stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, while the women’s draw is Aryna Sabalenka’s to lose.

Alcaraz and Sinner, aged 21 and 23, have been circling each other for years after taking over men’s tennis from the “big four” in Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.