Happy memories come flooding back for Ajla Tomljanovic on every visit to Brisbane.
The Australian fondly recalls spending pre-seasons in the Queensland capital, where she would train for months at a time early in her career.
“I love this city. I love the vibe,” smiled the 32-year-old. “I can always get my training done in peace and enjoy the weather. And the people are great. Everyone's so relaxed.”
Tomljanovic added to the happy memory bank as she successfully launched the 2026 season with victory over Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot at the Brisbane International.
Contested before a supportive home crown on Show Court 1 at the Queensland Tennis Centre, Tomljanovic completed the 6-1 6-3 win to set a second-round meeting with 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova.
The 80th-ranked Tomljanovic stamped early authority against world No.55 Jacquemot with a break of serve in the fourth game of the first set . She recovered from 1-3 down in the second, winning four straight games to secure victory in 75 minutes.
It added to a positive off-season for the experienced Tomljanovic, who is making a fifth main-draw appearance at the WTA 500 tournament.
“I feel great. I had such a great preparation but you never when the first match comes. Anything can happen on the day in tennis,” she commented.
“So I was just really hoping to at least do 80 per cent of what I’ve been practising and I think I did even more today so I'm just thrilled. It’s been a while since I've been back in Brissy competing, so this feels amazing.”
Movement was particularly pleasing as Tomljanovic aims to replicate her best Brisbane performance as a quarterfinalist in 2018.
“I definitely feel the best I've felt so far. I put in a lot of work in in the gym daily which isn't my favourite thing, but I've got to do it just so that I can come out here and pretty much give my best,” she said.
It was a more challenging day in Brisbane for Daria Kasatkina, who faced Anastasia Potapova in her first match as an Australian representative.
After dropping the first set against the world No.50, Kasatkina drew on warm crowd support to force a third set. But in her first match since taking an extended break in September, Kasatkina was unable to capitalise, with Potapova emerging a 6-4 5-7 6-4 winner.
Special Ks make successful return
After long injury absences for each player, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios returned with a win in the men's doubles, recovering from a first-set deficit to overcome countryman Matt Ebden and his American partner Rajeev Ram 5-7 6-4 [10-8] at Pat Rafter Arena.
The Australian pair, who combined to claim the AO 2022 men's doubles title, will take on French No.6 seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the second round.
Aussies' Brisbane boost
Successful qualifying campaigns for James Duckworth, Dane Sweeny and Rinky Hijikta expanded the Australian contingent to 13 representatives (seven men and six women)
James Duckworth, the No.10 seed in men’s qualifying, continued his rich vein of his form with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win over No.3 Terence Atmane. The 33-year-old will face rising American Alex Michelson in the first round of the main draw.
Dane Sweeny was the winner of an all-Australian encounter with Chris O’Connell and will aim to maintain winning momentum against big-serving American Reilly Opelka in his Brisbane main-draw debut.
Rinky Hijikata’s path to a third main draw appearance in Brisbane was helped when No.1 seed Lucas Arnaldi withdrew ahead of their match.World No.113 Hijikata, a Brisbane quarterfinalist two years ago, will meet countryman Adam Walton next.