01:45

Hello and welcome one and all! Are we really here already? It doesn’t seem that long ago that Venus Williams and her sister Serena were stepping onto Rod Laver Arena to contest the 2017 Australian Open final – a match that captured the imagination as the elder Williams sibling rolled back the years to reach her first final at Melbourne Park in 14 years.

Twelve months on, Venus, now 37, will again step out onto the blue Plexicushion surface of Melbourne Park’s showiest showcourt to begin her quest on the opening day of play to go one better. Standing in the way at the first hurdle, though, is Belinda Bencic who, at 20, you could say is at the other end of her career arc.

Still, the Swiss has been around long enough to have had time to plummet down the rankings (due to a wrist injury last year) after bursting onto the scene at the 2014 US Open (where she reached the quarters) and reaching the top 10. Since returning to the court post-surgery in September last year, she has staged something of a resurgence and enters this tournament ranked 78 in the world and off the back of Switzerland’s Hopman Cup win earlier this month in Perth.

So, not an opponent Venus will be taking lightly at all, and a match that promises entertainment for the neutral. More to come very soon, so in the meantime, I’ll just remind you to get in touch on the email (mike.hytner@theguardian.com) or the Twitter (@mike_hytner) with any thoughts on today’s match, the tournament in general or anything else you may need to get off your chest.