Storm Hunter has won her first-round match on Day 2 of AO 2026 qualifying, defeating Ekaterine Gorgodze 7-5 6-3 at Kia Arena.
Joining Hunter in the second round was Elena Micic, the Australian wildcard who defeated French world No.174 Carol Monnet 6-4 4-6 6-1.
Micic, who reached the final round of AO 2025 qualifying, next faces Carol Young Suh Lee, however fellow Aussies Astra Sharma, Tahlia Kokkinis and Alana Subasic all fell in first-round qualifying matches on Tuesday.
For Hunter, this was the first time she’d stepped foot on the match courts at Melbourne Park since her early 2025 comeback, after taking much of the 2024 season off to recover following an Achilles rupture.
“It was so good to be back on Kia Arena, and the support was amazing,” beamed Hunter, who set up a second-round qualifying meeting with Serb Lola Radivojevic.
“It was the first time I haven't been rehabbing, for maybe over two years, so that gave me a lot of confidence.
“My team are amazing, and they've done a lot of hard work as well with me to be able to let me go out there and perform, and perform freely as well in my head, not worrying about my Achilles or any other issues.”
And hard work indeed paid off. Hunter dominated the court; her speed and agility meant she seemed to be everywhere at once. No matter how many heavy cross-court strokes Gorgodze threw at her, Hunter all but materialised to the point she needed to be, rushing the net at the opportune moment, lobbing smartly and slicing with extreme precision.
As tension mounted in the second set, Gorgodze visibly grew more frustrated by the moment, while the Aussie remained cool, calm and collected.
“I just focused on each point and each ball and just tried to implement my game on her,” said Hunter.
The support of her local crowd spurred Hunter on when the second set grew tight.
“I don't like to shut things out because [it] doesn't work for me,” said Hunter. “So, I actually did look around the crowd and [was] like, ‘come on, you gotta get the win for all these people who've come out and supported [you].’”
Her coach, Nicole Pratt, also voiced her encouragement from the sidelines, keeping Hunter focused as the finish line approached.
“Pratty, my coach, was saying on the sideline like, ‘Come on, you want to be out here! You've dreamt of doing this all of last year and the year before. So, use it in a positive way.’ And I think her just saying that allowed me to get back to work.”
Today’s win is a step in the right direction for Hunter when it comes to her singles career, with the Aussie remaining hopeful but grounded.
“I have qualified here at Aussie Open, qualified at Wimbledon, qualified at [Roland Garros], so I know. I know what it takes,” she said. “But at the same time, I know how hard it is to do it. To be honest, it's incredibly difficult to qualify and I’m just going to take it day by day.
“I'm just trying to play every match, get better, move better, feel more confident.”
Meanwhile, fellow Australians Destanee Aiava and Arina Rodionova are currently on court attempting to join Hunter and Micic in the second round.