British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Lambda · Top national player

RE: Potential GB women in Aus Open qualifying

wolf · Tennis legend

Andy Parker wrote:
No info anywhere on when the Aussie Open Qualifying Draw will take place. I am guessing that the lack of publicity regarding this means it will just happen and then be posted on their official website afterwards.

Any info on when it will take place will be much appreciated, but I did quite a long internet search and found no useful info. It does appear that qualifying is scheduled from Monday to Thursday. so perhaps it will be a draw on Sunday and not Saturday, though part of me thinks that whoever is playing on Monday will need a reasonable notice of the draw and start times, so perhaps a Saturday draw is more likely. Katie B will be so unlucky if she misses the main draw by one place.

I've never in my life seen a qualies draw - Slam or not - come out 2 days in advance. Always 1 day.

miriam abc · Club Coach

The lta has a far better description of what is happening at the AO than the atp or AO own website. I got the lta info through Google.

Var · Futures level

Lambda wrote:
The qualifying draw will be on sunday after the sign in deadline. I can't remember If grand-slams use the WTA 4pm time or if its earlier.

Katie wouldn't be unlucky to miss the main draw. It is entirely of her own making through scheduling decisions as well as the fact she didn't play well enough last year to be ranked higher. She had ample opportunity to play the required number of 500s to not be penalised with a 0 point counter - I can see at least 3 weeks where she chose to play a 250 when she could have got into a 500 - and have at least 25 more ranking points, enough to give her a higher ranking that would have her in the main draw now.

Ouch Lambda. Maybe a bit harsh. We know Katie has suffered with injury and a loss of form and confidence in 2025. At least she has taken control having a good pre season training block in Alicante and enlisting the services of Joyce as her new coach. Wishing her well..

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

Seen on the. Tennis Forum that. Katie B. is now in the. main draw.

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

I think Yafan Wang who has a special ranking of 71 pulled out and Katie got her place ,Better not having to play 3 matches to qualify when you think of the energy that could be used getting there. Of course Emma had no problems qualifying for the 2021 US Open.

indiana · Tennis legend

Lambda wrote:
The qualifying draw will be on sunday after the sign in deadline. I can't remember If grand-slams use the WTA 4pm time or if its earlier.

Katie wouldn't be unlucky to miss the main draw. It is entirely of her own making through scheduling decisions as well as the fact she didn't play well enough last year to be ranked higher. She had ample opportunity to play the required number of 500s to not be penalised with a 0 point counter - I can see at least 3 weeks where she chose to play a 250 when she could have got into a 500 - and have at least 25 more ranking points, enough to give her a higher ranking that would have her in the main draw now.

Interesting, though more so in retrospect with how she has endeed just outside the MD list.

One of these WTA 250s was a 54 pointer from Nottingham, so you wouldn't want to not have that, and it was clearly a normal schedule to play that rather than the WTA 500 Berlin.

Then there are the two WTA 250s from Cleveland and Osaka with alternative WTA 500s in Monterrey and Ningbo with one of these being a non counter at the 08/12/24 Aus Open MD rankings cut-off date. So in theory one 30 points can replace the other 30 points that we are then assuming she didn't play and the Tokyo 25 pointer can come in for the 0 pointer. So net 25 points more plus I guess she might have done well in the incoming WTA 500.

But yes, it is maybe being a bit harsh in that who knew that it would so come down to that 0 pointer?

Hopefully, even yet. one more player will withdraw ( and I now read properly down and see that one has! )

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 10th of January 2026 12:20:27 PM

Var · Futures level

GAMEOVER wrote:
I think Yafan Wang who has a special ranking of 71 pulled out and Katie got her place ,Better not having to play 3 matches to qualify when you think of the energy that could be used getting there. Of course Emma had no problems qualifying for the 2021 US Open.

I am pleased KB is in the main draw. Emmas run is looking like a one and only to me, helped by the lack of form of top players post Covid era. I couldnt see her getting past a Sabalenka, Anisimova, Gaudf , Rybakina now TBH.I dont think it will ever happen again in normal times but would be happy to be proven wrong!

indiana · Tennis legend

Ah, I missed that Katie was now in the MD anyway! Very good news in my opinion.

So who cares about that WTA 500 zero pointer - it would always have been very unlucky if it had been a deciding factor.

PaulM · Tennis legend

I think that's good for Katie. She played well this week and qualies is odd. She'd have played with a lot of pressure and a slip up against someone in the first or second round would have been pretty deflating

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Great for Katie

Always avoid qualis if you can

especially in hot places

get practice matches at other place with low prize money

but zero in on the big dollars at the grand slam and take that main draw place

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Great for Katie

Always avoid qualis if you can

especially in hot places

get practice matches at other place with low prize money

but zero in on the big dollars at the grand slam and take that main draw place

agreed with all on this!! The AO isnt an island, take the practice elsewhere and get into the main draw and the big money and points!

Andy Parker · Club Coach

Hope the Tennis Forum is right and that Katie is in the main draw - nothing showing on the AO website to show Katie is in, but hopefully she is. Does anyone know who has withdrawn from the main draw, as that would be definitive proof.

Peter too · Tennis legend

Andy Parker wrote:
Hope the Tennis Forum is right and that Katie is in the main draw - nothing showing on the AO website to show Katie is in, but hopefully she is. Does anyone know who has withdrawn from the main draw, as that would be definitive proof.

GAMEOVER thinks it is Yafan Wang

the addict · Tennis legend

Andy Parker wrote:
Hope the Tennis Forum is right and that Katie is in the main draw - nothing showing on the AO website to show Katie is in, but hopefully she is. Does anyone know who has withdrawn from the main draw, as that would be definitive proof.

Yafan Wang isn't in the player list on the AO website (as Gameover noted) but Katie isn't either at the moment.