Defending Champions and the future Australia and world champions to play at the Workday Canberra International 2025
Canberra is set to welcome many of the world’s best tennis players, and future stars as they arrive to compete in the Workday Canberra International 2025 from 29 December through to the 4 January 2025 at the Canberra International Tennis Centre.
The Workday Canberra International, a combined ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125 tournament will help open the 2025 Australian Summer of Tennis. Known for showcasing many of the world’s best alongside the next generation of global superstars, the 2025 event promises to be bigger and better than ever. The event is an ATP125 and WTA125, and Canberra looks to welcome a host of the world’s top 100 players and the next generation of superstars as they compete for a total prize pool of USD$320,000.
The Workday Canberra International 2025 today announced the playing field which welcomes back both Women’s and Men’s 2024 champions, a raft of current top 100 players, alongside current and former world number 1 junior players and junior Grand Slam champions.
The women’s field is headlined by top seed Anna Bondar (HUN, #93). Bondar has a career high ranking of 50, and is the number one Hungarian tennis player, with two WTA Challenger titles to her name. Danka Kovinic (MNE, #95), arrives into Canberra as the second seed. The ‘Montenegrin superstar’ has a career high of 46 and reached the 3rd round of the 2023 Australian Open. Nuria Parrizas Diaz (ESP) #99, will be back to defend her title, as 2024 Workday Canberra International Champion. Parrizas has a career high of 45, and 3 WTA Challenger titles to her name.
Two of Australia’s emerging talents will also feature in the main draw. 16 year old Queenslander Emerson Jones, currently the world’s # 1 junior player, and a junior Grand Slam singles finalist at the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon junior events returns following her Canberra debut in 2024. Jones will be joined by fellow Australian Taylah Preston from Western Australian. Preston has had an impressive year, reaching the finals of the 2024 WTA 125 singles finalist at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She was also a 2024 US Open main draw singles wildcard recipient.
Both Jones and Preston were joint winners of the 2023 Newcombe Medal winner for ‘Female Junior Athlete of the Year’.
The depth of the WTA field is also notable including Petra Martic (CRO, #123) with a career high of 14. Martic represented Croatia at the 2024 Olympics, and has had quarter-finals appearances in the doubles at the Australian Open and French Open. Alina Korneeva #129 dubbed ‘The New Sharapova’ by many in the media at 17 years of age. Korneeva is a former number 1 ranked junior player in the women’s game and holds both the Australian and French Open Junior Grand Slam titles.
The men’s field is headlined by top seed Taro Daniel (JPN #84), with a career high of 58, Daniel has had Grand Slam appearances, including the Australian Open where he made it to the third round after beating former finalist Andy Murrayin the process. Second seed Jacob Fearnley (GBR #99), has a career high of 89 and has had a strong 2024, winning four ATP Challenger titles. Dominik Koepfer (GER #102) returns as third seed, and the 2024 Workday Canberra International Champion, when he defeated Jakub Mensik (PRO) 6-3 6-2 in the final. Koepfer has a Career high of 49, reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Tour Masters 1000 at the Italian Open in 2020 as well as 4th round of the US Open and 3rd round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Other notable mentions in the Men’s draw are Britain’s Dan Evans (GBR, #164). Evans, a Davis Cup winner in 2015 has a career high ranking of 21, Radu Albot (MDA, #163) is known as the ‘Moldovan superstar’, while Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA, #148) is a winner of all 4 grand slams in doubles, and a Davis Cup Champion, and a career high of 36.
The future of tennis will also be on show with many former world junior number 1’s and Junior Grand Slam champions and finalists in both draws. The ATP draw will feature Joao Fonseca (BRA #145), Martin Landaluce (ESP, #151) and Alexander Blockx (BEL, #204)
The WTA field is also strewn with many of the world’s emerging talents and the current #1 junior girls player Emerson Jones will be joined in the field by 2023 Australian & French Open Junior Champion Alina Korneeva (#129), the Czech sisters Linda & Brenda Fruhvirtova winners of multiple major junior titles and
The player field was announced by Tournament Director, Lawrence Robertson
“Canberra will once again open the Australian summer of tennis by playing host to a raft of the world’s top players competing alongside the next generation of the game’s superstars.
We are delighted to see Dominik Koepfer and Nuria Parizzas-Diaz return once again to defend their titles whilst we will also welcome six Top 100 players across both the Men’s & Women’s field.
I am most excited by next generation of stars that we will host. Headlined by our very own Emerson Jones, currently the world’s #1 junior player, she is joined by a number of former junior world number ones and Grand Slam winners including Alina Korneeva, Elsa Jacquemot and both Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova, who smashed many junior records on their way into the professional ranks.
On the men’s side, seeking to emulate the career trajectory of the current World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who competed in this event in 2021, we will welcome two former US Open junior champions in Brazil’s Joao Fonseca and Spain’s Martin Landaluce, both former World #1 juniors alongside Alexander Blockx, who won the junior AO title in 2023.
The 2025 Workday Canberra International promises to deliver the very best of world tennis at
Tennis ACT CEO Mark La Brooy echoed Robertson’s statement, “We are thrilled to again host the Workday Canberra International, here in the nation’s capital”.
“The event will feature a number of new additions including the ‘Live & Loudish’ site, which will showcase local artists every night from 5-8pm. We also welcome Kids Tennis Day to the event, held on 2 January it’s a day for the families. Kids will get free entry, plus there will be free activities happening all day – face painting, glitter tattoos, tennis activities with prizes such as 100 free racquets, and over 2500 free ice blocks to be given away in the afternoon”.
La Brooy continued, “With tickets starting at only $20 and with kids going free for the first four days, it’s a chance for fans to witness world-class tennis up-close and personal. Canberra is a unique and truly spectacular venue. There are not many other venues across the country where fans can sit just meters away from the action.”
“Canberra is known for hosting some of the best events around the globe, and this event will see the event book over 3000 room nights, delivering over $2 million of economic impact to the ACT & Region at a time when the Capital is it’s quietest”.
The Workday Canberra International would not be made possible without the support from local partners and businesses, including ACT Government, Events ACT, Workday and many great local partners and sponsors. The event is also made possible by a dedicated ballkid squad and volunteer workforce.
Tickets start from at $20 and Kids Go Free and are available now at www.canberrainternational.com.au
Workday Canberra International fast facts
- The Workday Canberra International is the ACT and region’s premier international tennis event
- The tournament will be held from 29 December to 4 January 2025
- 100 local ballkids will volunteer their time over the week
- 80 volunteers will join the events team
- 75 local, interstate and international officials will work at the tournament
- The players, officials and support teams will contribute to over 3000 room nights
- Over 15,000 fans are expected through the gates during the tournament
- Former champions include Hubert Hurkacz (POL – career high #6); Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER – career high #16); Andreas Seppi (ITA – career high #18); Jordan Thompson (AUS – current ranking #26)
- 2023 Canberra International Champions Marton Fucsovics (HUN) who has a career ranking of #31, and Katie Boulter (GBR) who is currently ranked #24
- Former participants also include Grand Slam champions and finalists including Ash Barty (AUS – career high #1); Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE – career high #3); Jannik Sinner (ITA – career high #9) and Denis Shapovalov (CAN – career high #10) amongst many more top 100 players.
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