Struggling to find her rhythm on the WTA Tour after an achilles rupture, Storm Hunter nearly ended her singles career.
The 31-year-old was prepared to quit singles and focus solely on her doubles career in September 2025 if a practice session with world No.3 Coco Gauff in Beijing did not provide a glimmer of hope.
“I had a practice with (Coco) lined up, and I was like, if she completely destroys me in this practice and I feel like I’m completely outplayed, I’m done with singles,” Hunter said.
“This is obviously a world-class player. If it’s terrible, I’m done. This is going to be my test for myself, and I went out, had a really good practice with Coco.
“We played some points, and even just the hitting, the ball striking, I was like, ‘actually, I feel OK’. It was very relaxed, but I feel more confident in myself. I’ve still got some stuff that I can keep using and keep going.”
And keep going, she did. On Wednesday afternoon, Hunter’s first Grand Slam main-draw singles run since returning from injury in February 2025 came to an end after a second-round loss to American Hailey Baptiste 6-2 6-1 at Australian Open 2026.
Ranked world No.367 entering the tournament, the West Australian southpaw advanced through qualifying at a major for the fifth time in her career, before defeating world No.40 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to record her biggest win at a Grand Slam. It’s a run Hunter is still trying to comprehend.
“Looking back, it’s still a bit crazy. It’s like I can’t believe I did that. Qualifying for a Slam is not easy, even when you are playing the best tennis of your life,” she said.
“Obviously, it’s never fun losing, and not just losing, but just feeling like I got completely outplayed today … but at the same time, I’m not going to complain about playing five singles matches at a Grand Slam. I’m very happy to have had those experiences. And the main thing, my body feels really good.”
More Grand Slam appearances are on the horizon for Hunter as she continues to develop confidence in her singles game. With an enhanced ability to analyse a match through her commentary stint during AO 2025, she believes direct entry into the singles draw in 2027 is a possibility.
“Honestly, the main goal is I want to be in the main draw here next year and not have to go through the stress of qualifying,” she said. “I think I’m actually kind of close to that level.
“I think in a way I’m a better player in terms of how I’m analysing matches. Even my coach has mentioned that to me. I’m kind of seeing the court a bit better and understanding what’s going on and being able to adjust quicker to what my opponents are doing.
“Those experiences (commentating) actually helped me. I think for sure I can get better.”
Meanwhile, Talia Gibson fought a three-set epic against world No.22 Diana Shnaider in the second round.
While she couldn’t quite secure the victory — with Shnaider taking the match 6-3 5-7 3-6 — this was the closest the 21-year-old has been to a run into the third round at a Grand Slam.
“Obviously straight off the bat, it’s a little bit disappointing to not have got the win,” Gibson said.
“A few match points there on the second set, but overall, I’m going to be nothing but proud of myself. With that match today, I’ve done something that I haven’t done before; put myself in the position to imagine (getting) through to the third round of a slam.”
Australian Open 2025 saw Gibson compete as a wildcard and reach the second round, where the then-world No.12 Paula Badosa dominated the match with a 6-0 6-1 win.
Gibson was once more granted a wildcard this year and was the first Australian player to proceed through to the second round after a thrilling first-round upset over a top-100 player. While this year’s AO saw the Perth-born player exit the tournament again in the second round, the scoreline tells a different tale to that of her Badosa battle.
It was Gibson’s aggressive style of play that troubled Shnaider, with her 39 winners causing her opponent to commit 29 forced errors.
While Gibson’s signature match style gave her an edge against her top-ranked opponent, flipping the coin reveals the dark side of winners: unforced errors.
“I’m an aggressive player and sure, more often than not, I’m probably going to have a bit more unforced errors,” Gibson admitted.
“There was still a lot of winners, and with an aggressive game, that’s just something that you can see. And I have to accept that there are going to be still some errors that I make. But that’s something that I still continue (to) need to work on, of course. And try and make more of those unforced errors into balls in the court.”
For Gibson, a loss – even a tough one like this result – is a lesson in disguise.
“I find myself often being able to look back on those experiences that I’ve had and being able to tap into what I learnt on some of those days, and use that in my current matches,” said Gibson after reflecting on her 2025 season.
“It’s just a learning opportunity and I’m continuing to develop my game every day. So, it’s just something that I’m always going to be working (on).”
Her resilience and positive outlook are the perfect foundation for a top-100 player, a goal that is front of mind for Gibson this year.
“At the moment, I think the main goal for me is to get inside the top 100,” she said with a smile. “But also, the other goal is to just keep developing (my) game as much as possible. That’s the one thing that’s going to get me there.”
On court, Gibson’s game was enough to rattle Shnaider, with her powerful groundstrokes and a serve that reached speeds of up to 178km/h, resulting in eight aces. But for Gibson, to play is to be ever evolving and ever growing.
“I think probably trying to develop a few more sort of dimensions to my game,” said Gibson when asked about her areas of focus. “Probably my transition would be one of them. Obviously, having such an aggressive game, there’s always a lot of opportunities for me to come forward and to transition to the net. So that’s something that I’m continuing to work on.
“But at the end of the day, I think just right now the main focus is my simple aggressive game and just trying to make that as great as I possibly can.”
The story isn’t over for Gibson’s AO 2026 journey, teaming up with compatriot Kimberly Birrell on Thursday to play Japanese duo Momoko Kobori and Ayano Shimuzu in the first round of women’s doubles, before joining forces with Matthew Ebden in a mixed doubles match against Serbian Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic from Croatia.
“I’m not done here yet,” Gibson said. “I still have doubles and then mixed doubles to go. So, a few more matches here, which is very exciting.
“So, that’s the next thing that I have on my mind: just enjoy my time here at the Australian Open.”
While she hasn’t been able to make a singles third round of a Grand Slam just yet, this defeat has only served to boost her confidence.
“(I was saying before) how proud I am of myself and my performance today, and I think I just further proved to myself that I am able to compete with the girls of (Shnaider’s) level. So, I think that’s really exciting and I’m looking forward to what I can do next.”
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