Australian Open qualifying commences tomorrow at Melbourne Park, with 25 Aussies seeking to earn their place in the main draw.
Three men and six women enter the draw on ranking while a further sixteen Aussies have received wildcard entries from Tennis Australia.
Three victories are required to secure a main draw berth with the following players set for first-round action across Monday and Tuesday.
Australian entrants - Men’s Singles:
Alex Bolt - No.157
Bernard Tomic - No.213
[PR] Jason Kubler - No.638 (Protected Ranking - No.140)
[WC] Marc Polmans - No.321
[WC] Blake Ellis - No.338
[WC] Dane Sweeny - No.345
[WC] Matthew Dellavedova - No.379
[WC] Ed Winter - No.592
[WC] Pavle Marinkov - No.803
[WC] Hayden Jones - No.973
[WC] Cruz Hewitt - No.1265
Australian entrants - Women’s Singles:
Kimberly Birrell - No.113
Maddison Inglis - No.154
Arina Rodionova - No.164
Priscilla Hon - No.167
Taylah Preston - No.170
Destanee Aiava - No.194
[WC] Astra Sharma - No.235
[WC] Tina Smith - No.266
[WC] Lizette Cabrera - No.293
[WC] Petra Hule - No.312
[WC] Jaimee Fourlis - No.307
[WC] Melisa Ercan - No.343
[WC] Elena Micic - No.422
[WC] Alana Subasic - No.1079
Men's Snapshot:
Cruz Hewitt will undoubtedly draw the most headlines from an Australian qualifying perspective, competing in the men's event for the first time. The 16-year-old makes his Grand Slam qualifying debut 28 years on from his father Lleyton; who as a 15-year-old qualified for the main draw on his first attempt in 1997.
After missing out in 2023 and 2024, Bernard Tomic will return for his sixteenth Australian Open after a strong year at ATP Challenger and ITF level.
Following an injury-interrupted 2024 season, Jason Kubler utilises a protected ranking to return to Melbourne Park where he suffered a heartbreaking super tiebreak loss twelve months ago.
Matthew Dellavedova makes his Australian Open singles debut after 115 match wins over the past two years, while Blake Ellis returns to AO qualifying for the first time since 2019.
18-year-old rising talents Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov will get their second look at Grand Slam qualifying after debuts in 2024.
Aussie Men's Round One Matchups:
Scheduled to play Monday:
Alex Bolt vs [25] Mackenzie McDonald (USA)
[PR] Jason Kubler vs [6] Thiago Monteiro (BRA)
[WC] Marc Polmans vs Valentin Royer (FRA)
[WC] Ed Winter vs Carlos Taberner (ESP)
[WC] Matthew Dellavedova vs Terence Atmane (FRA)
[WC] Pavle Marinkov vs [2] Mattia Bellucci (ITA)
Scheduled to play Tuesday:
Bernard Tomic vs [21] Jozef Kovalik (SVK)
[WC] Blake Ellis vs Antoine Escoffier (FRA)
[WC] Dane Sweeny vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA)
[WC] Hayden Jones vs August Holmgren (DEN)
[WC] Cruz Hewitt vs Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)
Women's Snapshot:
Kim Birrell will lead Australia's female qualifying contingent after being unfortunate to miss out on a main draw wildcard and enjoying a strong week at the Brisbane International.
After receiving a main draw wildcard in 2024, 19-year-old and world no.170 Taylah Preston returns to qualifying in 2025 with hopes of showcasing herself as one of Australia's brightest young talents.
Familiar faces Arina Rodionova (13th AO qualifying campaign), Priscilla Hon (7th), Maddison Inglis (7th), Destanee Aiava (6th), Jaimee Fourlis (5th), Astra Sharma (4th), Lizette Cabrera (4th) will all look to use their experience to reach the main draw.
Turkish-born Melissa Ercan (19 years old) will have her second attempt at reaching the main draw, while Alana Subasic (17), Elena Micic (20), and Tina Smith (22) will make their Grand Slam qualifying debuts.
Aussie Women's Round One Matchups:
Scheduled to play Monday:
[WC] Lizette Cabrera vs [3] Harriet Dart (GBR)
Taylah Preston vs Mona Barthel (GER)
Destanee Aiava vs [10] Ana Bogdan (ROU)
[WC] Tina Smith vs [7] Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK)
[WC] Melisa Ercan vs Panna Udvardy (HUN)
[WC] Elena Micic vs Elena Pridankina
[WC] Alana Subasic vs Veronika Erjavec (SLO)
Scheduled to play Tuesday:
[9] Kimberly Birrell vs Sara Saito (JPN)
Maddison Inglis vs Elsa Jacquemot (FRA)
Arina Rodionova vs Aliona Falei
Priscilla Hon vs Usue Maitane Arconda (USA)
[WC] Astra Sharma vs Mai Hontama (JPN)
[WC] Petra Hule vs [16] Petra Martic (CRO)
[WC] Jaimee Fourlis vs [5] Sara-Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
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