If Clara Tauson is to hold on to her 12th spot in the world rankings before the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, which begins on 12 January, she needs to be successful in Brisbane.
A year ago, the 23-year-old Dane won the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland, when Naomi Osaka was forced to retire against the Dane in the final, and therefore, Tauson has a lot of points to defend straight from the beginning of the year.
The draw for the tournament was made on Saturday, and as Tauson is seeded eighth, she potentially won't face a seeded player until the quarter-final.
In the second round, Tauson will face the winner Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Anna Blinkova. Should Tauson go all the way to the final, she is likely to face World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka
The tournament begins on Sunday night CET, but as Clara Tauson will sit out the round, she will not be in action until Tuesday night at the earliest.
