As the claycourt season reaches a climax with Roland Garros nearing an end, 15 Australians will turn their attention to grass in Birmingham, Great Britain this week.
At the combined ATP/WTA tournament, 12 players will compete in singles action with James McCabe a chance to boost that number in the final round of qualifying later on Monday.
Top-100 players Talia Gibson, James Duckworth, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata and Ajla Tomljanovic lead the pack, in the quest to become Australia’s first singles champion in Birmingham since Ash Barty in 2019.
Tristan Schoolkate, Taylah Preston, Emerson Jones, Maddison Inglis, Priscilla Hon, Alex Bolt and Chris O’Connell will also compete at the tournament.
The most intriguing first-round match commences on Monday night (AEST) as Jones faces British wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic.
A battle between two former top-10 juniors who had winning starts to their Billie Jean King Cup careers in April, Jones seeks her first career win over the young Brit after two junior Grand Slam quarterfinal losses.
Tomljanovic and Preston will also compete in Australia v Great Britain clashes of their own when they face Katie Swan and Alicia Dudeney, respectively, in first-time meetings. An all-Australian second-round showdown awaits, should they win those matches.
The ‘Ashes’ rivalry carries over into the men’s bracket with four Australians facing British opponents to begin their tournaments.
In maiden head-to-head encounters, Duckworth is up against Billy Harris, while Vukic battles Jack Pinnington Jones. Meanwhile, Hijikata and Schoolkate look to level their ledgers at one-all against Jacob Fearnley and Arthur Fery, respectively.
> MORE: Duckworth drives into Roland Garros second round
John Peers and John-Patrick Smith will also feature at the event, competing in doubles with separate partners. Peers teams up with American Vasil Kirkov, while Smith continues his partnership with Brazilian Fernando Romboli.
Fourteen other Aussies are competing elsewhere this week.
Maya Joint and Adam Walton are the top seeds at their respective events, with Joint continuing to compete on clay in Makarska, Croatia, while Walton travels to the United States to compete at a hardcourt Challenger event in Tyler, Texas.
Second seed Dane Sweeny, sixth seed Bernard Tomic and Blake Ellis will also compete in Texas.
Aussies in action
(World rankings in parentheses)
BIRMINGHAM ATP/WTA 125
Aussies in men’s singles: James Duckworth (No.82), Aleksandar Vukic (No.96), Rinky Hijikata (No.98), Tristan Schoolkate (No.123), Alex Bolt (No.152), Chris O’Connell (No.155)
Aussies in men’s singles qualifying: James McCabe (No.234)
Aussies in women’s singles: Talia Gibson (No.58), Ajla Tomljanovic (No.100), Taylah Preston (No.127), Emerson Jones (No.136), Maddison Inglis (No.141), Priscilla Hon (No.143)
Aussies in men’s doubles: John Peers (with Vasil Kirkov), John-Patrick Smith (with Fernando Romboli), Rinky Hijikata (with Mackenzie McDonald), Tristan Schoolkate (with Leandro Riedi)
Aussies in women’s doubles: Talia Gibson (with Janice Tjen), Priscilla Hon (with Rebeka Masarova), Taylah Preston (with Katie Swan)
MAKARSKA WTA 125
Aussies in singles: Maya Joint (No.52)
PERUGIA ATP CHALLENGER 125
Aussies in doubles: Matthew Romios (with Szymon Kielan)
HELIBRONN – BAD RAPPENAU ATP CHALLENGER 100
Aussies in qualifying singles: Marc Polmans (No.347)
Aussies in doubles: Blake Bayldon/Marc Polmans
TYLER ATP CHALLENGER 75
Aussies in singles: Adam Walton (No.97), Dane Sweeny (No.131), Bernard Tomic (No.194), Blake Ellis (No.495)
Aussies in doubles: Patrick Harper (with Daniel Milavsky), Kody Pearson/Calum Puttergill
CENTURION ATP CHALLENGER 50
Aussies in singles: Edward Winter (No.466)
Aussies in doubles: Ty Host/Stefan Vujic
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