Six Australian women will kickstart their 2026 campaigns on Friday when Brisbane International qualifying commences.
Priscilla Hon, Olivia Gadecki, Lizette Cabrera, Astra Sharma, Taylah Preston, and Alana Subasic aim to extend Australia’s main-draw contingent beyond nine. James Duckworth hopes to join Alexei Popyrin, Adam Walton, Nick Kyrgios, and Aleksandar Vukic in the men's singles draw.
Where are the Australians playing this summer?
After Kimberly Birrell became a hometown hero at the Brisbane International last year when she advanced to her maiden WTA 500 quarterfinal, fellow Queenslanders Hon, Gadecki, and Cabrera aim to emulate the same form at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
After a career-best 2025, Hon hopes to begin the new year emphatically by qualifying for the tournament for a second straight season. The world No.119 opens her account against second-seeded Yulia Putintseva on Friday.
Hon won 37 matches across all formats last season, leading to her maiden Newcombe Medal nomination. This included qualifying for Wimbledon and the US Open, which played pivotal roles in her first WTA singles top-100 berth in October. Last year she fell to good friend Birrell in the opening round in Brisbane.
Gadecki returns to the event in 2026 having represented Australia at the United Cup in 2025. The last Australian to defeat Birrell in Brisbane, Gadecki, aims to qualify for the WTA 500 for the second time.
Meanwhile, Cabrera features in Brisbane for the first time in six years, aiming to qualify for the first time in her career. The 28-year-old has reached the final round of qualifying twice, in 2017 and 2020. She can progress to the qualifying round for the third time by defeating Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova.
Sharma and Preston aim to prepare for Australian Open 2026 in the best possible way by qualifying for the main draw in Brisbane. They are both pitted against seeded opponents in their respective opening matches. Sharma takes on Uzbekistani Kamilla Rakhimova, while Preston battles Oksana Selekhmeteva.
Subasic, 18, will make her WTA qualifying debut in Brisbane when she faces No.6 seed Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Friday. The Sydneysider won 47 women’s singles matches last season on the ITF circuit, highlighted by two W15 titles in Kayseri, Turkey, in September.
Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. Tickets for the Brisbane International are on sale via Ticketmaster. Prices start at $30. Premium Experiences are on sale via Ticketmaster and the Premium Experiences Team.