Twelve Australians have been guaranteed singles entry into Australian Open 2026 next month.
Australian women’s No.1 Maya Joint is among the contingent, and currently in contention to be seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time.
It follows a breakout season for the teenager, who won 33 matches in 2025. Joint won two WTA titles this year – in Rabat and Eastbourne – while also making her Billie Jean King Cup debut for the Culture Amp Australian team in April. She capped off her season with a maiden Newcombe Medal nomination.
In her first full season on the WTA Tour, Joint rocketed to a career-high ranking of world No.32 in October after beginning the year as world No.116.
“She had a very consistent 12 months. You see a lot of young players have ups and downs through the course of a year on the different surfaces. Maya has been very consistent on all surfaces,” Joint’s coach, Chris Mahony, said, who won the Coaching Excellence – Performance award, presented by Culture Amp at the 2025 Australian Tennis Awards.
“She's been a sponge, taken all the information that I've tried to give her and done something with it. Her resilience has been outstanding as well. Every time she's had a tough loss, she never wastes a day. She's back on court afterwards, and that's another big part of why we have been able to succeed.”
The 19-year-old targets her first women’s singles victory at Melbourne Park after losing in straight sets to Jessica Pegula in the opening round at AO 2025. She also hopes to advance past the second round of a major for the first time.
She is one of five women to obtain direct entry into AO 2026 with Daria Kasatkina, Ajla Tomljanovic, Kimberly Birrell, and Australian Pro Tour wildcard recipient Emerson Jones, also punching their ticket to Melbourne.
Kasatkina will appear in her first Australian Open under the Australian flag. Following her best run at the tournament in 2025, where she advanced to the final 16, the 28-year-old hopes to improve on last year’s performance in front of a home crowd.
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After reaching five quarterfinals in his past seven Grand Slam tournaments, Alex de Minaur aims to reach his first major semifinal. The world No.7 is giving himself every chance to do so, expected to enter AO 2026 with his highest seeding in Melbourne to date.
De Minaur had his most productive season in 2025 with 56 wins, including an ATP Tour-high of 43 hardcourt victories. The reigning Newcombe Medallist is one of seven Australian men in the main draw, with nominees Adam Walton and Tristan Schoolkate also among the entrants.
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Alexei Popyrin and Aleksandar Vukic once again feature on the list, while James Duckworth returns for his 13th Australian Open, securing his place after winning the Australian Pro Tour wildcard points race.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, using a protected ranking at AO 2026, features in his first tournament in 12 months after being sidelined with a pectoral injury. The South Australian last played at AO 2025, where he suffered a nail-biting five-set defeat to Brit Jack Draper in the second round.
Australian Open 2026 main-draw competitors
Men’s singles
7. Alex de Minaur
54. Alexei Popyrin
78. Adam Walton
82. Aleksandar Vukic
*84. Thanasi Kokkinakis – *Protected Ranking
100. Tristan Schoolkate
106. James Duckworth – Australian Pro Tour wildcard
Women’s singles
32. Maya Joint
37. Daria Kasatkina
80. Ajla Tomljanovic
98. Kimberly Birrell
150. Emerson Jones – Australian Pro Tour wildcard
Australian Open 2026 will be played at Melbourne Park from 12 January to 1 February, with singles main draw commencing on Sunday 18 January.