Ranking Movers: Birrell, Preston elevate ahead of home Slam

Kimberly Birrell and Taylah Preston were among the big risers leading into Australian Open 2026 following their strong lead-in campaigns.


Monday 19 January 2026
Jackson Mansell
Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Women’s singles

Standout Australian performers at their respective lead-in tournaments last week, Kimberly Birrell and Taylah Preston enjoyed healthy rises in the rankings to approach their career highs. 

Birrell, an Adelaide International semifinalist, emphatically returned to the top 100, moving up to world No.76. The 27-year-old claimed victories over top-50 players Anastasia Potapova and Jaqueline Cristian to progress to her maiden WTA 500 semifinal, building on her dream run in Brisbane 12 months ago. 

> READ: Birrell advances to maiden WTA 500 semifinal

As for Preston, she, too, had a career-best tournament. The 20-year-old advanced to her first WTA semifinal in Hobart, recording the two biggest wins of her career, in terms of ranking, by upsetting Emma Raducanu and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

She climbed back into the top 200, soaring to world No.161.

> MORE: Preston stuns Raducanu in Hobart

Maya Joint and Daria Kasatkina also improved their rankings ahead of Australian Open 2026, following opening-round victories in Adelaide. 

Aussie top 10
PlayerRankingMove
Maya JointNo.31+1
Daria KasatkinaNo.43+5
Kimberly BirrellNo.76+31
Ajla TomljanovicNo.78-2
Talia GibsonNo.1190
Priscilla HonNo.1210
Emerson JonesNo.153+2
Astra SharmaNo.1570
Taylah PrestonNo.161+43
Maddison InglisNo.168-1

Men’s singles

Aleksandar Vukic boosted his ranking ahead of his sixth Australian Open campaign. 

The 29-year-old moved to world No.78 after progressing to the quarterfinals in Adelaide. Vukic secured wins over Jacob Fearnley and Stefanos Tsitsipas throughout the week before succumbing to Tommy Paul in the final eight.   

Alex de Minaur arrives at Melbourne Park maintaining his place as world No.6. A maiden spot in the ATP top five awaits the Australian No.1, as he sits only 25 points behind the fifth-ranked Lorenzo Musetti.

Vukic and De Minaur are two of six Australians ranked inside the top 100 leading into their home Grand Slam.  

Aussie top 10
PlayerRankingMove
Alex de MinaurNo.60
Alexei PopyrinNo.500
Aleksandar VukicNo.78+9
Adam WaltonNo.81-2
James DuckworthNo.88-2
Tristan SchoolkateNo.98-1
Jordan ThompsonNo.1110
Rinky HijikataNo.114+1
Chris O'ConnellNo.1180
Alex BoltNo.171
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Women’s doubles

Four players feature inside the top 100 as AO 2026 rolls around. Ellen Perez, Storm Hunter, Olivia Gadecki, and Joint are among the 15-strong contingent aiming to improve on their doubles ranking at their home major. 

Perez will form part of the eighth-seeded pairing at the tournament, partnering Dutchwoman Demi Schuurs. 

Aussie top 10
PlayerRankingMove
Ellen PerezNo.210
Storm HunterNo.320
Olivia GadeckiNo.56-2
Maya JointNo.59-1
Priscilla HonNo.126-1
Kimberly BirrellNo.149-1
Petra HuleNo.1750
Elena MicicNo.2170
Alexandra OsborneNo.233-2
Destanee AiavaNo.259-1

Men’s doubles

Six Australian men – John Peers, John-Patrick Smith, Rinky Hijikata, Jordan Thompson, Matt Ebden, and Matthew Romios – will boast top-100 rankings for AO 2026. 

Peers, Hijikata, Thompson and Ebden are aiming to add to their Grand Slam trophy cabinets on home soil with their respective partners. They join 13 other Aussies in the men’s doubles draw. 

Aussie top 10
PlayerRankingMove
John PeersNo.42-1
John-Patrick SmithNo.51-1
Rinky HijikataNo.580
Jordan ThompsonNo.65-1
Matt EbdenNo.690
Matthew RomiosNo.71-1
Blake BayldonNo.107-1
Patrick Harper No.1150
Alexei PopyrinNo.140-3
Kody PearsonNo.193    
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