Picture credit score: Hameltion/Wikimedia Commons
4 Australians have acquired wild playing cards into the 2026 Australian Open.
Aussies Rinky Hijikata, Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson and Taylah Preston acquired wild playing cards to play in the principle draw at Melbourne Park in January.
It boosts the variety of Australians within the singles important attracts to 16 – eight within the males’s, and eight within the ladies’s.
Hon’s wildcard comes off the again of a career-best season, throughout which she reached the third spherical of a Grand Slam for the primary time – on the US Open – shortly earlier than making her High-100 debut.
The 27-year-old Queenslander additionally certified for Wimbledon, superior to the third spherical of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing, and received two ITF W75 titles, in Brisbane and Romania.
“I’m so extremely grateful to Tennis Australia for the wildcard,” Hon mentioned, who hit a career-high rating of world No.94 in mid-October earlier than dropping to her present mark of 119th.
“I pushed my physique onerous to attempt to keep away from needing one, however I’m very grateful for his or her continued assist. I’m proud to characterize Australia and may’t wait to see how far I can go!”
Hijikata and Dutch accomplice David Pel reached the Wimbledon doubles closing. It was his second Grand Slam doubles closing, after he and fellow Australian Jason Kubler received the AO 2023 title.
In singles, Hijikata received the Playford Challenger – rising to world No.114 because of this – and in addition received rounds at Wimbledon, Indian Wells and Miami.
Hijikata, whose greatest Grand Slam singles consequence was a fourth-round run on the 2023 US Open, will compete in his fourth consecutive AO important draw.
“I’m very grateful to get one other alternative to play in the principle draw on the AO,” Hijikata mentioned.
“There’s nothing higher than competing at a house Slam and I’ve had a few of my greatest reminiscences in Melbourne. I can’t look forward to the electrical environment in January.”
A red-hot Preston received 31 of her final 37 matches in 2025.
The 20-year-old, a former top-10 junior, will likely be making the third Grand Slam main-draw look after competing on the Australian and US Opens in 2024.
Gibson, in the meantime, loved a late-season excessive when she was chosen within the Australian Billie Jean King Cup staff for the primary time, as a part of Australia’s Play-off marketing campaign in Hobart.
The next week, she travelled to Sydney and received the Australian Professional Tour title there, considered one of three ITF titles she received in 2025 at W50 stage or above.
Important-draw wildcards have additionally been awarded to French gamers Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah and Kyrian Jacquet, as introduced by the French Tennis Federation.
Rakotomanga Rajaonah, 20, lately broke by means of for her first WTA title in Sao Paulo and is nearing the highest 100 after starting 2025 exterior the highest 350. Jacquet, in the meantime, reached his first ATP-level quarterfinal in Metz final month, shortly earlier than hitting a career-high rating of 137th.
Extra wildcards will likely be introduced forward of the Australian Open 2026 important draw, starting January 18th.
