The good news: at least one Australian is guaranteed to make the second round of the Sydney International.
The bad news: Ashleigh Barty and company face a torrid time extending their Australian Open preparations at arguably the most cut-throat tournament of the year.
With 15 of the world's top 25 players in the draw, including six grand slam champions, and a direct entry cut-off of world No.33, Australia's five-strong contingent will have no time to find their form.
Barty opens against a qualifier hoping to rebound from a first-round exit in Brisbane and claim her first win of the year.
The Australian No.1 has landed in the top half of the draw featuring No.1 seed Garbine Muguruza, French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and compatriots Samantha Stosur, Daria Gavrilova and wildcard Olivia Rogowska, who clash in the first round.
Stosur, also a first-round loser in Brisbane, has a tough opener against her German nemesis Julia Goerges, a five-time winner over Australia's former US Open champion.
Sydney wildcard Ellen Perez is also in the top half of the draw and plays French world No.11 Kristina Mladenovic in the first round.
Sara Tomic's bold bid for a first-time main-draw entry ended on Saturday with a second-round qualifying loss to Spanish seed Lara Arruabarrena 6-2 6-3.
Muguruza and second-seeded Venus Williams both have first-round byes.
In-form teenager Alex De Minaur will look to continue his hot summer run when he joins fellow Australians Jordan Thompson, John Millman and Alex Bolt in the men's draw.
De Minaur takes on veteran Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the first round, with Thompson playing Italian Paolo Lorenzi, and Milliman and Bolt up against qualifiers.
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