Melbourne, VIC, 17 January 2025 | Jackson Mansell

Emerson Jones will relaunch her bid for a maiden junior Grand Slam title on Saturday when her Australian Open 2025 campaign begins.

The junior world No.1 faces qualifier Anastasia Lizunova on Court 3 in the opening round, as she aims to improve on her Australian Open 2024 finals appearance.

While she is yet to win a junior Grand Slam, Jones’ recent wave of form provides her with the optimal chance to achieve this feat.

The 16-year-old recorded her first WTA top 50 triumph on tour debut, downing world No.37 Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-0 at the Adelaide International.

“I think mentally I’ve improved a lot from last year and this year,” Jones said after her Adelaide International victory last week. “I think just playing more matches and trying to tell myself before every single match that I need to be mentally good because that’s probably what mostly tennis is about.”

Her previous two encounters have been her most difficult to date. After falling to world No.10 Daria Kasatkina during the second round in Adelaide, Jones was met with the ambitious prospect of defeating world No.7 Elena Rybakina in her women’s major debut.

In other action, Alex de Minaur will face his biggest challenge yet when he takes to centre court against 31st seed Francisco Cerundolo.

The world No.8 is coming off another straight-sets victory against American qualifier Tristan Boyer on Thursday afternoon. It marks the first time in his career that De Minaur has won his first four matches of a season in straight sets.

> READ: Dominant Demon advances to third round

The 25-year-old is aiming to become the first Australian male since the introduction of a 128-player draw to make the round of 16 at Melbourne Park for four straight years.

> MORE: The numbers behind De Minaur’s run at Melbourne Park

“He’s a very dangerous player, very tricky. He’s got a lot of firepower from the baseline with that forehand. He’s had some big scalps on tour. He’s not afraid to play some big matches. It’s going to be a battle. I’m looking forward to it,” De Minaur said. “I’ve got to be up for it from the very first point, bring that intensity, play some aggressive style of tennis, bring out a better version of myself, which I think I’m doing every day.”

> VIEW: Australian Open Day 7 schedule

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