Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and 16-year-old Australian Cruz Hewitt have received Australian Open qualifying wildcards, with the full entry list revealed.
Halep, currently ranked outside the top-1000 after a run of injuries in 2024, has only featured in four tournaments this year and lost four of her five matches played.
The former world No.1 received a four-year suspension after testing positive for the banned substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.
However, the ban was overturned earlier this year, and Tennis Australia has handed the 33-year-old a lifeline as she bids to qualify for her first Grand Slam main draw in over two years.
"The thought of returning to Australia after three years is exciting and I'm very grateful to the tournament for this opportunity. I have been working hard to get ready for the 2025 season," said the 2018 Australian Open runner-up.
"The Australian Open has provided me with some of the best moments in my career, so I can't wait to be back in Melbourne and playing in front of the Aussie fans."
Six women have qualified directly into the qualifying draw from an Australian lens, including Kimberly Birrell, Maddison Inglis, Arina Rodionova, Priscilla Hon, Taylah Preston and Destanee Aiava.
Along with Halep, seven Aussies have been given the chance to play in the first round of qualifying via wildcards, with the last spot going to Slovakia's Renata Jamrichova, who claimed the 2024 Australian Open Junior Girls’ title.
On the men's side, Alex Bolt, Jason Kubler and former world No.17 Bernard Tomic are the three Aussies who will appear in the qualifying draw automatically.
Tomic, 32, has shot up the world rankings this year to land himself outside the top-200, hoping to reach his first main draw at Melbourne Park since 2021.
Marc Polmans, Matthew Dellavedova, Blake Ellis, Edward Winter, Dane Sweeney, Pavle Marinkov, Hayden Jones and Cruz Hewitt are the Australians who make up eight of the nine wildcards for qualifying.
Attention will turn to the latter two names, with Jones winning the Male Junior Athlete of the Year at the Newcombe Awards last week. At the same time, Hewitt continues to follow in his father Lleyton's footsteps, claiming three junior titles and reaching a career-high No.99 in the junior rankings this year.
2023 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks joins former top-25 players Dan Evans and Cristian Garín as the standout names in qualifying.
In another good piece of news for the Aussie contingent, Omar Jasika has been rewarded for an outstanding season by earning a wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open.
Five consecutive titles between September and mid-October helped Jasika rise 163 spots from the start of the year to world No.179.
Day 1 of qualifying commences on Monday, January 6.
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