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Saturday, January 17, 2026

Wk.2- Mirra, Mirra on the Wall

Has the upcoming winner in Melbourne already announced her AO26 intentions?








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*WEEK 2 CHAMPIONS*
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA (WTA 500; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Mirra Andreeva/RUS def. Victoria Mboko/CAN 6-3/6-1
D: Katerina Siniakova/Zhang Shuai (CZE/CHN) def. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Desirae Krawczky (UKR/USA) 6-1/6-4
HOBART, AUSTRALIA (WTA 250; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA def. Iva Jovic/USA 6-4/6-4
D: Katarzyna Piter/Janice Tjen (POL/INA) def. Magali Kempen/Anna Siskova (BEL/CZE) 6-2/6-2




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mirra Andreeva/RUS
...Andreeva has looked like a sure-thing future slam champ for a while now, and after she started 2025 on a 20-3 burst, winning back-to-back 1000s titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, it seemed like her big day might come last season. It didn't happen, though. She posted QF-QF-3r results in the year's last three majors (after an AO 4r), and psychologically limped over the season's finish line a shadow of her early-season self.

Well, here we go again.

The 18-year old was virtually untouchable in Adelaide, never dropping a set (and losing just three games in any stanza) vs. Marie Bouzkova, Maya Joint, Diana Shnaider and, in the final, (an ailing) Victoria Mboko in a dominant 6-3/6-1 performance. The win gives her four tour singles titles, behind just Coco Gauff's six for most titles won by a teenager in the 2020s (w/ 16 months remaining before she turns 20).



Andreeva, sporting a Nike jacket with "I Want to Thank Myself" emblazoned its front, talked of her hoped-for and achieved improvement during the event's trophy ceremony, and made one wonder if maybe the history of Adelaide forecasting AO champions might add another example after three of the last four years -- after Ash Barty in '22 (Week 1), Aryna Sabalenka (Week 1) in '23 and Madison Keys (Week 2) last year -- have seen players pick up tour titles in the city before going on to win in Melbourne a few weeks later.

Hmmm, now I'm starting to wonder if maybe I *should* have included the '25 *spring* North American 1000 (IW/Mia.) finalists in my "Prop Picks" for the potential upcoming AO winner rather than deciding in the end to exclude them to keep the pool small. At least then I'd have Andreeva (as the reigning I.W. champ) in the small group of predicted potential champs heading into Day 1. Just in case she *is* ready to have her big day, you know, like *now*.


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RISERS: Victoria Mboko/CAN and Diana Shnaider/RUS
...after a stunning run to the Montreal title last summer, Mboko had a brief downturn in results (four straight losses and a three-month wait for her next match win). But, since then, she's shown that she's no one-hit wonder, finishing her '25 season on a 9-1 run and picking up a title in Hong Kong.

This past week in Adelaide, the 19-year old showed her mettle and put herself directly into the group of AO contenders, assuming she didn't play herself out of a big Melbourne run due to the wear-and-tear of her trip to the final the week preceding the season's first major.



Mboko was forced into three straight three-setters, defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia, Anna Kalinskaya (saving 2 MP) and defending champ Madison Keys, the latter the Canadian's first Top 10 win since she upset Coco Gauff in Montreal. A straight sets win over Kimberly Birrell put Mboko into her third tour final, but she was unfortunately unable to provide Mirra Andreeva with the full force of her game in the title match.

Already playing with a large leg wrap, Mboko was seemingly not feeling well during the match (taking an MTO early in the 2nd) and after taking a 3-0 lead in the 1st set wasn't able to provide the expected competition to her fellow teenager in what was the youngest WTA final match-up in four and a half years. Andreeva won nine straight games at one point, finally winning 6-3/6-1.

Mboko will still rise to a new career high of #13.



After a sometimes-struggling '25 campaign, Shnaider finished strong last year after adding Sascha Bajin as coach, winning a title in Monterrey and a SF in Ningbo in the closing months, her two best results of the season.

A year after reaching the Adelaide QF, the Hordette went one better in '26 with a SF in the event after a trio of good wins over Leylah Fernandez, Katerina Siniakova and Emma Navarro. Doubles partner Mirra Andreeva, though, was another story in a 6-3/6-2 singles semi defeat.
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SURPRISES: Kimberly Birrell/AUS and Antonia Ruzic/CRO
...Birrell has reached late-year finals in Osaka and Chennai the last two seasons, as well as posting seven QF+ results at tour level over the past three seasons heading into a Week 2 stint in Adelaide, but the AUS #4 isn't often recognized as a potential deep-run threat.

This past week, the 27-year old again posted an admirable result -- with good wins over Anastasia Potapova and Jaqueline Cristian -- but it'll be mostly overlooked since she proved to be but a bump in the road for one Victoria Mboko in the semifinals, as the Canadian teen prevailed 2 & 1 en route to the final.



Birrell's run will see her jump from #107 to back inside the Top 80, moving her past Ajla Tomljanovic to AUS #3, before she faces countrywoman Maddison Inglis in the AO 1st Round.



22-year old Croatian Ruzic has gradually (and fairly quietly) lifted her tour standing over the previous two seasons, winning five ITF crowns and reaching a pair of tour-level QF while climbing as high as #69 last summer. She made her slam MD debut as last year's U.S. Open.

In Hobart, Ruzic reached her maiden WTA SF with victories over Emiliana Arango, Solana Sierra and Olga Danilovic before a straight sets loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

She'll jump to a new career high of #65 in the new rankings, replacing Donna Vekic as the CRO #1. Ruzic will make her AO MD debut against Naomi Osaka.
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COMEBACK: Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
...three seasons ago, Cocciaretto reached the Top 30, playing in two tour finals (winning one, w/ a RU in Hobart). A season later, she reached her maiden slam Round of 16 (RG) before being a part Team Italia's back-back-to-back BJK Cup title runs in 2024-25 (contributing singles wins in the '25 QF and Final).

But she hasn't been able to maintain that high ranking, finishing the last two seasons at #54 and #84. As a result, she was forced into qualifying in her return to the Hobart 250 event. After reaching the MD, she rallied from a set and 5-3 down (and 3-1 in the 3rd) in the 2nd Round vs. Ann Li, then followed with victories over Anna Bondar and Antonia Ruzic to reach her third career WTA final.

Intrestingly, while most of the Italian's career wins have come on clay, two of her three tour finals have come on hard court, while her two best results in 2024-25 were on grass (SF at Birmingam and Rosmalen).

In her second final Hobart final in four years, Cocciaretto claimed her first win with a 6-4/6-4 win over Iva Jovic that will lift her back into the Top 60. With a seven-win Week 2, she's off to an 8-1 start in '26.
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FRESH FACES: Taylah Preston/AUS and Iva Jovic/USA
...there are always a number of young Aussies who shine on home courts in January, and 20-year old Preston added her name to that list this week in Hobart, where she rode a MD wild card all the way to her maiden tour-level semifinal behind upsets of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Rebecca Sramkova and top seed Emma Raducanu. The Perth resident led Iva Jovic by a set in the semis, but saw the Bannerette teen rally to win in three.

Preston will jump from #204 to inside the Top 165 as she prepares to play in her third career slam MD, with all her appearances coming via wild cards. She lost in the opening round to seeded veterans in her previous outings during the '24 season (Svitolina AO, Pavlyuchenkova U.S.), and will face another vet (albeit an unseeded one) this time around in Melbourne in Zhang Shuai.



Fresh off a SF run in Auckland, 18-year old Jovic played her way into the final in Hobart, dropping one game against Janice Tjen (who rebounded to win the doubles title) and completing three-set wins over Magda Linette and Taylah Preston to reach her second tour-level final (w/ Guadalajara 500 win last September).

The Bannerette fell 4 & 4 to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, but will be a first-time slam seed at the AO (#29) as she rises to a new career high of #27.


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DOUBLES: Katerina Siniakova/Zhang Shuai, CZE/CHN
...Siniakova continued to gild her doubles lilly in Adelaide, as the WD #1 picked up her 33rd career tour title, and second alongside Zhang (w/ '24 Guangzhou).

It was no cakewalk to the trophy ceremony, though, as the pair won a pair of MTB (vs. Babos/Fernandez and Danilina/Krunic) before a 6-1/6-4 victory in the final over Lyudmyla Kichenok & Desirae Krawczyk. It's Zhang's 16th career WTA win.



For Siniakova, it's her maiden title run in Adelaide (after a RU in '23 w/ Storm Hunter), as the Czech adds another spoke to her Down Under wheel of tournament titles. She'd already posted previous WD titles in Sydney (2019), and Melbourne in two of the pandemic era pre-AO events ('21 Gippsland and '22 Summer Set), as well as having a trio of Australian Open crowns, taking the title there three of the past four years (2022-23 w/ Krejcikova, with whom she also reached the '21 final, and last year w/ Townsend).
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WHEELCHAIR: Wang Ziying/CHN
...a funny thing happened on the way to Diede de Groot's season-opening title grab, and it was once again one of the rising Chinese players who made it happen.

Over the previous two seasons, both Wang and Li Xiaohui have placed themselves in the spotlight on numerous occasions, including becoming the first Chinese WC slam winners in doubles (AO25, before ultimately winning three of the four majors) and Wang the first in singles (Wimbledon last year). In 2024, it was Li who ended de Groot's 145-match winning streak, as well as her 52-match slam streak last year (at RG). Both Li and Wang started 2026 ranked in the roller Top 4.

De Groot, who at this time last year was still out following hip surgery (after winning four straight AO titles, she didn't play in Melbourne and eventually ended the year without either a singles or doubles major title in a season for the first time since she picked up her first big crowns in 2017), hit her way into the Victorian Open (500) final this week, extending her season-ending winning streak from '25 to eight, and improving to 15-1 in her last 16 as she rallied from a set down to defeat Zhu Zhenzhen and then handled Aniek Van Koot in straights.

But Wang proved to present a different obstacle in the title match, as the 27-year old (who'd defeated Li in the SF) knocked off de Groot in a deciding tie-break to get the win, 6-2/1-6/7-6(5). The victory ends Wang's five-match losing streak vs. the Dutch legend.

Li and Wang also added the doubles title.

De Groot, ranked #5, will be back in Melbourne to try to extend her title-winning streak, as well as her 14-match AO run (she last lost in the AO in 2020).
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1. Adelaide 2nd Rd. - Victoria Mboko def. Anna Kalinskaya
...6-2/3-6/7-6(6). Mboko couldn't serve out the win at 5-4 in the 3rd, then soon found herself down MP to Kalinskaya at 6-5. The Hordette had a second MP (at 6-5) in the deciding TB, only to see the Canadian sweep the final three points to get the win.


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2. Hobart 1st Rd. - Peyton Stearns def. Barbora Krejcikova
...6-4/1-6/76(4). Krejcikova roared back to action last summer by winning a handful of matches after facing MP. In Hobart against Stearns, the Czech threatened with doing the same.

Krejcikova rallied from 4-2 down in the 3rd, saving two MP at 5-4 and forcing a TB before Stearns finally won on MP #4.
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3. Adelaide 1st Rd. - Tereza Valentova def. Alona Ostapenko
...7-5/3-2 ret. Fresh off her Week 1 doubles title, Ostapenko led the Czech teen 5-0 in the opening set, and got within a point of taking the match lead at 5-1, 40/15.

Valentova stormed back to take the 1st, then saw Ostapenko retire five games into the 2nd. She lost to defending Adelaide/AO champ Madison Keys in the 2nd Round, but Valentova is set to make her AO MD debut in Melbourne.
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4. Adelaide 1st Rd. - Dasha Kasatkina def. Maria Sakkari
...7-6(2)/6-4. Dasha gets her first win on Australian soil as a new Aussie, setting the stage for her first-ever turn in a major as a *home* favorite.

Kasatkina is coming off her best career AO run last year, a Round of 16 finish.


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5. Hobart 1st Rd. - Ann Li def. Katie Volynets 4-6/7-5/6-2
Hobart 2nd Rd. - Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. Ann Li 1-6/7-5/7-5
...not only is women's tennis often a week-to-week sport, it's often a match-to-match one, as Li saw in Hobart.

Li got a comeback win from 6-4/4-2 back over Volynets, who served for the win at 5-4; then Li was the one being caught from behind soon afterward, losing her 6-1/5-3 (and serving at 5-4) lead vs. Cocciaretto, as the Italian also rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd en route to victory and, eventually, the title.
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6. Hobart Final - Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. Iva Jovic
...6-4/6-4. Cocciaretto now heads to Melbourne, where she'll surprisingly be one of just *two* Italians (w/ Paolini, of course) in the women's MD. For a nation with such an active Cup presence, that's shockingly low.

That's a total more than the likes of previously more-relevant-than-today nations like Slovakia and Belgium (Mertens aside), which both have just one AO competitor each, but also the *same* number as the likes of newcomer/stirring nations like Thailand, Austria and Uzbekistan (w/ the latter two boosted by recent additions of former Hordettes).


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7. Adelaide 1st Rd. - Jaqueline Cristian def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...6-4/6-4. Cristian had quite a week vs. both former and current Hordettes, qualifying with a win over Anastasia Potapova (now AUT) and then upsetting Ekaterina Alexandrova (just missing out on her second career Top 10 win vs. the just-slipped-to-#11 Russian) and ending new Aussie Dasha Kasatkina's (so far) best run on home Australian soil.

The Romanian nearly hit her way into the semis, but lost a set lead vs. Kimberly Birrell in the QF and ultimately fell in a 7-5 3rd.


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8. Hobart Final - Katarzyna Piter/Janice Tjen def. MagaliKempen/Anna Siskova
...6-2/6-2. Tjen picks up tour WD title #3, all coming since October (when she also won the Chennai singles), claiming her second with Piter (Guangzhou), who gets win #6.


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HM- $35K Bradenton USA QF - Bianca Andreescu def. Tatiana Pieri 6-2/6-1
$35K Bradenton USA SF - Bianca Andreescu def. Lea Ma 6-1/6-0
... Andreescu didn't travel to Melbourne to try to qualify for the AO, and is instead in Florida looking for match play. She's into the final and could win her first singles title on any level since the 2019 U.S. Open.

The #227-ranked Canadian hasn't played a slam MD match since 2024.


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1. Hobart 1st Rd. - Tatjana Maria def. Venus Williams
...6-4/6-3. Over the first two weeks of the new season, 38-year old Maria has experienced the full WTA age spectrum when it's come to her opponents, falling to 17-year old Emerson Jones in Brisbane and then one match later facing off and defeating 45-year old Williams (combined age w/ Maria: 83) in Hobart.

The age difference between Maria's opponents -- 28 years -- would comfortably fit a whole Aryna Sabalenka.


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2. Adelaide Final - Mirra Andreeva def. Victoria Mboko
...6-3/6-1. Andreeva has rightfully leaned into her trophy ceremony pattern of being *very* thankful, from calling out individual physios and masseuses by name, to thanking her team (while joking that it "it was all me" and saying that she doesn't "know why they're here").



Of course, as in her way, she then closed by thanking herself and running down a list of all the things that she's proud of herself for doing. An interesting one from the Adelaide ceremony, considering her sometimes-difficult-to-watch moments down the back stretch of 2025, was a self nod for "changing (her) mentality."

If she can hold to that, Melbourne could get interesting.



BTW, with a combined age of 37, this was the youngest tour-level final since the 2021 U.S. Open, when another Canadian (Leylah Fernandez) played for a title (against Emma Raducanu).
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Collins might be 100% correct (and it's a version of what I said after the UC since the way Iga lost those Week 1 matches was exactly how she lost so many times over the first six months of last year, no matter how much she celebrated her Polish teammates' victories afterward), but considering the personal history between the two you get the feeling that Collins would've probably scratched up a reason to say the say the same thing even if Swiatek hadn't lost a match during the opening week.

Collins might be a commentating keeper when she's finally done playing, if for no reason other than her willingness to court the ire of certain players' fans just because she doesn't really give a damn if they don't like what she says.

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*YOUNGEST FINAL COMBINATION - 2020s*
37 = 2021 US Open: Raducanu (18) d. Fernandez (19)
37 = 2026 Adelaie: M.Andreeva (18) d. Mboko (19)
38 = 2024 Iasi: M.Andreeva (17) d. Avanesyan (21)
39 = 2022 Monterrey: Fernandez (19) d. Osorio (20)
39 = 2022 R.Garros: Swiatek (21) d. Gauff (18)
39 = 2025 Dubai: M.Andreeva (17) d. Tauson (22)
39 = 2025 Eastbourne: Joint (19) d. Eala (20)

*TEEN CHAMPS in 2020s*
6 - Coco Gauff (2021,2023-24)
4 - MIRRA ANDREEVA (2024-26)
3 - Iga Swiatek (2020-21)
2 - Leylah Fernandez (2021-22)
2 - Maya Joint (2025)
2 - Victoria Mboko (2025)
2 - Clara Tauson (2021)
1 - Linda Fruhvirtova (2022)
1 - Iva Jovic (2025)
1 - Ashlyn Krueger (2023)
1 - Linda Noskova (2024)
1 - Camila Osorio (2021)
1 - Emma Raducanu (2021)
1 - Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah (2025)
1 - Diana Shnaider (2024)
1 - Maria Timofeeva (2023)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA SEMIFINALISTS*
Adelaide: Taylah Preston, AUS (20/#204)
Adelaide: Antonia Ruzic, CRO (22/#71)

*CAREER WTA DOUBLES TITLES - active*
36 - Sara Errani
36 - Hsieh Su-wei
33 - Latisha Chan
33 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA
30 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands
30 - Kristina MladenovicC
29 - Timea Babos

*SINIAKOVA - 33 WTA TITLES (# w/ partners)*
18 - Barbora Krejcikova
3 - Storm Hunter
3 - Taylor Townsend
2 - Aleksandra Krunic
2 - ZHANG SHUAI
1 - Belinda Bencic
1 - Coco Gauff
1 - Kristina Mladenovic
1 - Alona Ostapenko
1 - Bernarda Pera






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Democrats need to realize ICE isn’t just—or even primarily—a mass deportation force. ICE is also Trump’s most loyal internal security force which will be used to attack regime opponents and try to steal the election. They should defund his authoritarian capabilities.

— Max Berger (@maxberger.bsky.social) January 12, 2026 at 11:29 AM

Democrats underestimate this at their own peril, and at the expense of every American.

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— Brad Takei (@bradtakei.bsky.social) January 13, 2026 at 10:51 AM


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You know Donald Trump has reached a new low as President when the Swedish Armed Forces have sent troops to stop your nutty potential invasion of an arctic island with a population of 50k. I would laugh, but it's not funny. Not funny at all.

— Daniel Schneider (@biologistdan.bsky.social) January 14, 2026 at 3:17 PM

Europe having to perform military exercises against their primary threat, the United States.

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— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) January 14, 2026 at 7:42 PM


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🚨NOW: Large anti-Trump protests erupt in Copenhagen, Denmark ‘Yankee go home… Hands off Greenland’ 🇪🇺🇬🇱🇨🇦WE STAND WITH GREENLAND🇨🇦🇬🇱🇪🇺❤️ ❤️🇪🇺🇩🇰🇨🇦WE STAND WITH DENMARK🇨🇦🇩🇰🇪🇺❤️

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— 🍁🇨🇦Team Canada Forever🇨🇦🍁 (@teamcanadaforever.bsky.social) January 17, 2026 at 9:23 AM

MAKE AMERICA GO AWAY hats from #Greenland #protests #Trump is making are allies hate us. #Denmark

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— Butterflies Katz ⓥ (@butterflieskatz.bsky.social) January 17, 2026 at 9:14 AM


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This is an actual post from The White House showing Trump pressured Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado to come to Washington to hand over her prize. Giving Trump the physical prize does not change the fact that she won, but not handing over the prize could anger the mob boss.

[image or embed]

— Randahl Fink (@randahl.bsky.social) January 16, 2026 at 12:50 AM

Trump Will Keep Nobel Peace Prize Medal Offered by María Corina Machado

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— Mickey Kuhns (@mickeykuhns.bsky.social) January 16, 2026 at 1:34 AM


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Where did we go wrong? Have we become so focused on “timeless” that we now only embrace dull, colorless decor? 😳

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— Tiare Liberty Sol ☀️ (@tiare75.bsky.social) January 13, 2026 at 6:03 PM


Last week I saw a bright blue car pass on the other side of the road and it was almost shocking.


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All for now.
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Thursday, January 15, 2026

AO26 Q-Rounds: Familiar Faces in Familiar Places


A look back at the Australian Open qualifying rounds...












AO Q1 - Sloane Stephens def. Barbora Palicova 6-1/7-5
AO Q2 - Sloane Stephens def. Olivia Gadecki 3-6/6-3/6-3
AO Q3 - Sloane Stephens def. Lucia Bronzetti 6-1/7-5
...Stephens' Q1 victory over Czech youngster Palicova was her first singles victory on any level since the 1st Round of Wimbledon in 2024, ending a 13-match losing streak.

Ranked #897 and in qualifying using her protected ranking, Stephens followed up with wins over Gadecki (the AO25 MX champ) and #2 seed Bronzetti. An AO semifinalist thirteen years ago in Melbourne, she'll next play in a "throwback" 1st Round contest vs. Karolina Pliskova. Their first match-up came fourteen years ago in the 1st Round of Wimbledon (Stephens won in straights).


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AO Q1 - Lilli Tagger def. Gao Hanyu 3-6/7-5/6-3
AO Q2 - Lilli Tagger def. Elena Pridankina 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/6-1
AO Q3 - Lanlana Tararudee def. Lilli Tagger 6-3/6-0
...late last year, Austrian teen Tagger reached the final in her tour-level MD debut in Jiujiang, surging in the eleventh hour vs. Viktorija Golubic after being down triple MP at 5-4, 40/love in the 3rd. From MP down forward, Tagger won thirteen straight points to close out the victory.

While her first qualifying attempt in a major ultimately fell short in the Q3, Tagger continued to flash the sort of clutch persona down the stretch that makes her a name to watch very closely going forward. The 17-year old won from 6-3/4-2 down vs. Gao, then staged another comeback against Pridankina.

Tagger trailed 7-6/5-3, then won seven straight points to force a 3rd after falling behind 5-0 in the 2nd set TB. She dropped just one game in the 3rd.



Despite the wave of momentum behind her, Tagger notched just three games vs. Tararudee, who handily won the battle for a maiden slam 1st Round spot, giving Thailand *two* woman (w/ first-timer Mananchaya Sawangkaew, in using her protected ranking) in the MD.


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AO Q2 - Guiomar Maristany def. Tatiana Prozorova 6-2/2-6/7-6(10-7)
AO Q3 - Guiomar Maristany def. Elvina Kalieva 7-5/4-6/6-4
...it's always nice to see a player prove that paths to success on the tennis tour can play out on a very different schedule, such as that of Maristany, whose road in Melbourne to her slam MD debut comes at age 26 after her fifth qualifying attempt at a major.

After an opening win over #3-seed Mayar Sherif, the Spaniard saved four MP (at 6-5 in the 3rd) in the Q2 against Prozorova before winning a 10-7 MTB to advance. It took her three sets to finally take out Kalieva, but the win sets up the biggest match of her career to date (vs. Polina Kudermetova in the AO 1r).


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AO Q1 - Mary Stoiana def. Nuria Brancaccio 7-5/4-6/7-5
...the former NCAA #1 (at Texas A&M), Stoiana gets the win after trailing 5-2 in the 3rd, saving two MP in game 8, then three more in game 9 before sweeping the final five games.

She fell to #2 seed Bronzetti in three sets in the next round.
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AO Q1 - Maddison Inglis def. Leyre Romero Gormaz 4-6/7-6(4)/6-2
AO Q3 - Maddison Inglis def. Tamara Korpatsch 6-4/6-4
AO Q3 - Storm Hunter def. Taylor Townsend 7-6(6)/6-2
...Australia's two successful qualifiers.

Inglis' path to the MD needed an opening round escape, as the Aussie trailed Romero Gormaz 5-3 in the 2nd, saving a pair of MP at 6-5.

Meanwhile, after reaching the #1 doubles ranking in '23, Hunter ruptured an Achilles early in the following season. She returned last year, reaching a pair of tour doubles finals (winning the Wuhan 1000 w/ Siniakova). Now she's back in a slam singles draw for the first time in two years (since her career-best 3rd slam run in Melbourne in '24) after stringing together three straight wins as a qualifying wild card.


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*RECENT AO "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2016 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2017 Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
2018 Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2019 Astra Sharma, AUS
2020 Ann Li, USA
2021 Francesca Jones, GBR
2022 Hailey Baptiste, USA
2023 Katherine Sebov, CAN
2024 Alina Korneeva, RUS
2025 Maja Chwalinska, POL
2026 Guiomar Maristany, ESP







*AO26 MAIN DRAW*
=by nation (of 40 in original MD)=
18 - USA
11 - CZE
10 - AUS
9 - RUS
6 - UKR
4 - CHN,ESP,FRA,GBR,GER,POL
3 - CAN,CRO,JPN,KAZ,ROU,SUI
2 - AUT,BLR,COL,HUN,ITA,LAT,SLO,THA,UZB
1 - ARG,BEL,BRA,DEN,GRE,HUN,INA
1 - MEX,NED,NZL,PHI,SRB,SVK,TUR
[age groups]
8 - age 19 and under
98 - age 20-29
17 - age 30-34
5 - age 35-45

*AO26 MD...*
=youngest=
17 - Emerson Jones, AUS (WC) - DOB: July 7, 2008
18 - Iva Jovic, USA - DOB: December 6, 2007
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS - DOB: April 29, 2007
18 - Tereza Valentova, CZE - DOB: February 20, 2007
19 - Victoria Mboko, CAN - DOB: August 26, 2006
19 - Maya Joint, AUS - DOB: April 16, 2006
19 - Nikola Bartunkova, CZE (Q) - DOB: February 25, 2006
19 - Sara Bejlek, CZE - DOB: January 31, 2006
=oldest=
45 - Venus Williams, USA (WC): DOB: June 17, 1980
38 - Tatjana Maria, GER - DOB: August 8, 1987
37 - Laura Siegemund, GER - DOB: March 4, 1988
36 - Zhang Shuai, CHN - DOB: January 21, 1989
35 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU - DOB: April 7, 1990

=AO26 QUALIFIERS=
Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN
Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE
Storm Hunter, AUS
Maddison Inglis, AUS
Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
Linda Klimovicova, POL
Guiomar Maristany, ESP
Himeno Sakatsume, JPN
Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
Zeynep Sonmez, TUR
Marina Stakusic, CAN
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
Sloane Stephens, USA
Lanlana Tararudee, THA
Yuan Yue, CHN

=LOW-RANKED 2026 SLAM QUALIFIERS=
#897 - Sloane Stephens, USA (AO)
#697 - Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN (AO)
#363 - Storm Hunter, AUS (AO)
#184 - Guiomar Maristany, ESP (AO)
#178 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR (AO)

=AO26 WILD CARDS=
Zarina Diyas, KAZ
Talia Gibson, AUS
Priscilla Hon, AUS
Emerson Jones, AUS
Elli Mandlik, USA
Taylah Preston, AUS
Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, FRA
Venus Williams, USA

=AO26 PROTECTED RANKINGS=
Karolina Pliskova, CZE
Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA

=MAKING SLAM MD DEBUTS=
=AUTOMATIC ENTRY MD=
Petra Marcinko, CRO
Oleksandra Oliynykova, UKR

=WC=
none

=Q=
Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
Linda Klimovicova, POL
Guiomar Maristany, ESP
Himeno Sakatsume, JPN
Lanlana Tararudee, THA

=PR=
Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA









AO26 "PROP PICK" PREDICTIONS
1. The AO26 champion will come from the list of players who reached the final of one of the North American hard court 1000+ events last summer That would make this the target group: Sabalenka/Anisimova (U.S. Open), Mboko/Osaka (Montreal) and Swiatek/Paolini (Cincinnati). I considered adding on the two spring 1000 events -- which would add Andreeva and Pegula from Indian Wells and Miami (both faced Sabalenka) -- but it felt like it'd be casting a slightly *too* large net, so I'll leave them out.
2. The AO26 runner-up will be a first-time Australian Open finalist Previous AO finalists in the MD: Sabalenka, Keys, Rybakina, Osaka, Kenin and V.Williams.
3. After four Top 8 seeds reached the AO QF in '25, just two will do so this year (as was the case in both 2023 and '24)
4. Multiple teenagers will reach the singles 4th Round, with at least one making the QF
5. In her first Australian Open as an Aussie, Dasha Kasatkina will the Last Aussie Standing in the women's draw. Still representing Russia, she reached the Round of 16 in 2025, which would have made her last year's L.O.S. had she had "AUS" next to her name at the time.
HM- Dark Horses (4r/QF??): I could pull out Marta Kostyuk (Brisbane finalist) or Karolina Muchova (Brisbane SF), but they don't feel like "dark horses." So how about one of the young Czechs, specifically someone like 18-year old Tereza Valentova (1r vs. #30 Joint, possible 3r vs. #5 Rybakina and 4r vs. #10 Bencic), though this AO might be a slam or two too early for her, or Linda Noskova. Noskova is the #13 seed and a former AO quarterfinalist (2024), but if she were to get past someone like #4 Amanda Anisimova (a possible 4r opponent) she'd certainly be considered a "surprise" contender in the second week.







**AGE OF 2020s SLAM WINNERS**
18 = Emma Raducanu, GBR (2021 US)
19 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2020 RG)
19 = Coco Gauff, USA (2023 US)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 RG)
21 = Sofia Kenin, USA (2020 AO)
21 = Coco Gauff, USA (2025 RG)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 US)
22 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2023 RG)
22 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2020 US)
23 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2024 RG)
23 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2021 AO)
23 = Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2022 WI)
24 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2023 AO)
24 = Marketa Vondrouosva, CZE (2023 WI)
24 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2025 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2021 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2022 AO)
25 = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2021 RG)
25 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2024 AO)
26 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2024 US)
27 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2025 US)
28 = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2024 WI)
29 = Madison Keys, USA (2025 AO)

**RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Serena Williams, USA
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 Madison Keys, USA

**AUSTRALIAN OPEN TOP SEEDS - since 2011 (w/ result)**
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2012 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (QF)
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (W)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (4th)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (RU)
2019 Simona Halep, ROU (4th)
2020 Ash Barty, AUS (SF)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (QF)
2022 Ash Barty, AUS (W)
2023 Iga Swiatek, POL (4th)
2024 Iga Swiatek, POL (3rd)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (RU)
2026 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN - OPEN ERA**
1977 Kerry Melville-Reid, AUS
1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
1980 Hana Mandlikova, TCH
1995 Mary Pierce, FRA
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 Madison Keys, USA

**AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINALS - ACTIVE**
3...Aryna Sabalenka (2-1)
2...Victoria Azarenka (2-0)
2...Naomi Osaka (2-0)
2...Venus Williams (0-2)
1...Sofia Kenin (1-0)
1...Madison Keys (1-0)
1...Caroline Wozniacki (1-0)
1...Jennifer Brady (0-1)
1...Danielle Collins (0-1)
1...Elena Rybakina (0-1)
1...Zheng Qinwen (0-1)

**AO DEFENDING CHAMP RESULTS - OPEN ERA**
1969 Margaret Smith Court (W)
1970 Margaret Smith Court (W)
1971 Margaret Smith Court (DNP; W in '73)
1972 Virginia Wade (QF)
1973 Margaret Smith Court (DNP)
1974 Evonne Goolagong (W)
1975 Evonne Goolagong (W)
1976 Evonne Goolagong-Cawley (DNP)
1977 Kerry Melville Reid (SF)
1977 Evonne Goolagong-Cawley (DNP)
1978 Chris O'Neil (DNP)
1979 Barbara Jordan (DNP)
1980 Hana Mandlikova (QF)
1981 Martina Navratilova (RU)
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd (DNP)
1983 Martina Navratilova (SF)
1984 Chris Evert-Lloyd (RU)
1985 Martina Navratilova (RU in '87)
1986 - NOT HELD
1987 Hana Mandlikova (QF)
1988 Steffi Graf (W)
1989 Steffi Graf (W)
1990 Steffi Graf (QF)
1991 Monica Seles (W)
1992 Monica Seles (W)
1993 Monica Seles (DNP)
1994 Steffi Graf (DNP)
1995 Mary Pierce (2nd Rd.)
1996 Monica Seles (DNP)
1997 Martina Hingis (W)
1998 Martina Hingis (W)
1999 Martina Hingis (RU)
2000 Lindsay Davenport (SF)
2001 Jennifer Capriati (W)
2002 Jennifer Capriati (1st Rd.)
2003 Serena Williams (DNP)
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne (DNP)
2005 Serena Williams (3rd Rd.)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo (4th Rd.)
2007 Serena Williams (QF)
2008 Maria Sharapova (DNP)
2009 Serena Williams (W)
2010 Serena Williams (DNP)
2011 Kim Clijsters (SF)
2012 Victoria Azarenka (W)
2013 Victoria Azarenka (QF)
2014 Li Na (DNP, retired)
2015 Serena Williams (RU)
2016 Angelique Kerber (4th Rd.)
2017 Serena Williams (DNP)
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (3rd Rd.)
2019 Naomi Osaka (4th Rd.)
2020 Sofia Kenin (2nd Rd.)
2021 Naomi Osaka (3rd Rd.)
2022 Ash Barty (DNP, retired)
2023 Aryna Sabalenka (W)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka (RU)
2025 Madison Keys

**RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMIFINALISTS**
2018: Wozniacki (W), Halep (RU); Mertens/Kerber
2019: Osaka (W), Kvitova (RU); Collins/Ka.Pliskova
2020: Kenin (W), Muguruza (RU); Barty/Halep
2021: Osaka (W), Brady (RU); S.Williams/Muchova
2022: Barty (W), Collins (RU); Keys/Swiatek
2023: Sabalenka (W), Rybakina (RU); Azarenka/Linette
2024: Sabalenka (W), Zheng (RU); Gauff/Yastremska
2025: Keys (W), Sabalenka (RU); Swiatek/Badosa

**LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA
#19 - 2025 Madison Keys, USA
#14 - 2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
#12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
#7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA
#7 - 2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
#5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
#5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS
#5 - 2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
#4 - 1995 Mary Pierce. FRA
#4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
#4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN
#4 - 2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN

**BACK-to-BACK US/AO TITLES OVER TWO SEASONS - Open era**
1969-70 Margaret Court, AUS
1970-71 Margaret Court, AUS
1988-89 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989-90 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991-92 Monica Seles, YUG
1992-93 Monica Seles, YUG
1993-94 Steffi Graf, GER
1997-98 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002-03 Serena Williams, USA
2003-04 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2008-09 Serena Williams, USA
2010-11 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2014-15 Serena Williams, USA
2018-19 Naomi Osaka, JPN
--
1982 - Chris Evert, US Sept./AO Dec.
1983 - Martina Navratilova - US Sept/AO Dec.
2020-21 - Naomi Osaka - RG Oct.'20 held between '20 US/'21 AO
--
NOTE: Sabalenka won '25 U.S. Open, won the AO in 2023-24, and is #1 seed at AO26

**CAREER SLAM #1 SEEDS - active**
11..Iga Swiatek
6...Caroline Wozniacki
5...ARYNA SABALENKA
3...Victoria Azarenka
2...Naomi Osaka
2...Karolina Pliskova
1...Venus Williams
--
NOTE: Barty-7

**CAREER SLAM MD APPEARANCES - WOMEN**
95 - Venus Williams* (w/ AO26)
81 - Serena Williams
72 - Alize Cornet
71 - Svetlana Kuznetsova
71 - Amy Frazier
70 - Francesca Schiavone
69 - Samantha Stosur
68 - Victoria Azarenka*
67 - Martina Navratilova




via GIPHY

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