The meeting between the two will be the first head-to-head in their careers, as world no. 73 Jesper de Jong will attempt to reach the second round of the Australian Open for just the second time in his career.
Medvedev, meanwhile, will try to get out of the first round for the ninth time running with the hardcourt specialist's 62nd Slam win in Melbourne or New York. A win over De Jong, paired with a first-round loss for Stan Wawrinka, would also see Medvedev enter the top 20 of the all-time wins list on hardcourt with his 330th overall win.
De Jong and Medvedev have been drawn in the second quarter of the draw, with Arthur Rinderknech the other seeded player in their bracket. The winner of the match will face either Quentin Halys or Alejandro Tabilo.
Griekspoor faces Wimbledon foe
Tallon Griekspoor, the Netherlands' highest-ranked player, will face off against American Ethan Quinn in the first round. The two met in the first round of Wimbledon last year, as Griekspoor defeated Quinn in a five-set thriller.
Griekspoor, the 23rd seed at the tournament, was a first-round exit last year after falling to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets, but reached the third round in 2023 and 2024. A rematch with Hurkacz could be on the cards, with the winner of Griekspoor-Quinn facing the winner of the battle between Hurkacz and Belgian Zizou Bergs.
Botic van de Zandschulp, the third and final Dutch contestant, will face 27th-seed Brian Nakashima in the opening round. The winner of that match will face either Shang Juncheng or Rodrigo Bautista Agut.
Both Griekspoor and Van de Zandschulp have been drawn into the third quarter. Reigning Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik is the other seeded player on Griekspoor's side of the bracket, while Van de Zandschulp could face Novak Djokovic in the third round.
Lamens to potentially meet Raducanu and Sabalenka
In the women's draw of the Australian Open, Suzan Lamens was drawn against Anastasia Potapova, the Russian-Austrian 54th-ranked player of the WTA rankings.
Their first head-to-head follows a tough start to 2026 for Lamens, who lost to Eva Lys and Iga Swiatek in the United Cup before failing to qualify for the Hobart International after losing to Ella Seidel in the first round.
A win over Potapova would see Lamens go down a path that could lead to meetings with 28th seed Emma Raducanu and world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the second and third rounds.
The first-round matches of the Australian Open will start on Sunday, January 18th.