Jarmila Gajdosova will likely never get a better chance to break her decade-long Australian Open duck than on Monday when she opens proceedings against Alexandra Dulgheru.

It will be Gajdosova’s 10th straight appearance in the singles at Melbourne Park – and on each of the previous nine she has come up short.

But she will bring encouraging recent form into the first grand slam tournament of the year, having advanced to the quarter-finals at last week’s Sydney International before bowing out to two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in three tight sets.

After a difficult couple of years on and off the court, the 27-year-old Gajdosova has got her world ranking back down to 62.

She will start as a clear favourite against Dulgheru, the world No.87 who failed to advance out of qualifying at the Sydney International.

Gajdosova is among 13 Australians in action on a busy day one at Melbourne Park, while the full local singles contingent of 18 is the biggest in a decade.

Also in action on Monday are rising superstar Nick Kyrgios, who plays Federico Delbonis from Argentina in the night session on the revamped Margaret Court Arena.

Having lasted only one set against Rafael Nadal last year, Bernard Tomic will be looking for a much better showing against German Tobias Kamke.

Teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis looks to have drawn the toughest first-round assignment among the Australians with a clash against 11th seed Ernests Gulbis.

But there is a fitness cloud hanging over the Latvian, who pulled out of his opening tournament of the year in Qatar due to illness and then lost to qualifier Jiri Vesely in Auckland last week.

Play gets underway at 1100 (AEDT).