Preparations for the Australian Open, which begins with qualifying in Melbourne on January 12, are in full swing, and players’ attention is already turning to competing Down Under. Honestly, this is incredible. I don’t believe it yet. I am so happy to have won this tournament and to be part of the main draw of a Grand Slam again.
I’ve been injured for almost two and a half years and I came back last year. So for me, this feels extra special to be back in the main draw of the Slam, so yeah, I’m just really happy and grateful. Zarina Diyas
Last weekend, local wildcards were scooped up by Aussies Emerson Jones and James Duckworth, who earned their coveted spots in the singles main draw after standout recent performances on the Australian Pro Tour.
In the new look Australian Pro Tour Wildcard Points Race, taking into account performances at tournaments in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide in November, Jones and Duckworth emerged as the highest points earners across the 3-event swing.
They were confirmed as wildcard winners on Saturday, the same day the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off finals took place in Chengdu.
There, Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas and Chinese No. 1 Bu Yunchaokete won the women’s and men’s singles respectively, confirming their places at Melbourne Park in January.
With Patrick Kypson and Elizabeth Mandlik already announced as US wildcard recipients for AO 2026, five wildcards remain up for grabs for both the men’s and women’s main draws.
Jones secured the women’s wildcard after a consistent three-week campaign that included a final in Sydney and a win in South Australia.
“No one really knew who would win [the wild-card]“It was a bit up and down,” she said. “I was just trying to win the tournament, but this is definitely a nice bonus.”
Jones, a former world number 1 junior who is just 17 years old, said she could not wait to experience the Australian Open again, where she will appear in the main draw for the second time in a row.
“It feels great, I’m going to love playing it, and I’m really excited,” said Jones, who drew Elena Rybakina in the first round last year. “I played it last year and it was so much fun.
“It was such a great experience for me to get to know the level. So if I get to try it again, I’m super excited.”
Duckworth secured his wildcard after emerging as the leading Australian performer during the three-week race, with the 33-year-old capping a strong swing with a rise in his ranking to world number 87, earning his return to the AO main draw after narrowly missing out on direct entry.
For Diyas, the wildcard she secured in Chengdu means she will participate in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time in four years.
“I was injured for almost two and a half years and I came back last year,” Diyas explained. “So for me, this feels extra special to be back in the main draw of the Slam, so yeah, I’m just really happy and grateful.”
The 32-year-old, a former world number 31, has reached the third round of the Australian Open four times before, the first time in 2014, while her best Grand Slam results were a pair of fourth-round finishes at Wimbledon in 2014 and 2015.
“Honestly, this is unbelievable. I don’t believe it yet. I am so happy to win this tournament and be back in the main draw of a Grand Slam,” said Diyas, who defeated En-Shuo Liang of Chinese Taipei 6-3 6-4 in Saturday’s final.
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In the US, Elizabeth Mandlik, the daughter of four-time Grand Slam winner Hana Mandlikova, won her place in Melbourne in a wildcard play-off against her compatriot Claire Liu.
The 24-year-old Mandlik, who has risen 80 places in the rankings since changing coaches in September, will return Down Under for the first time in two years in January.
The former world number 97 won the USTA’s annual Australian Open Wild Card Challenge, beating Liu in a series of tournaments over five weeks this fall.
“It’s really a great opportunity for all Americans to compete with each other and fight for that wild card,” said Mandlik, who made her Australian Open debut in 2023 as a lucky loser.
“Obviously my mother played [there]she added, modestly noting her mother’s two Australian Open titles. “Maybe I can be the third in my family to do something big there!”
Mandlik’s grandfather, Vilem, competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and reached the semifinals in the 200 meters.
Before the Challenge, Boca Raton native Mandlik was hoping for a chance to compete in the Melbourne qualifying draw. Her ranking had fallen to No. 270 by early October after a wrist injury kept her out for three months in 2024.
She changed coaches a month earlier, hiring the duo of Emiliano Redondi and Juan Pablo Guzman, and enjoyed immediate success when she won a W100 title in Edmond, Oklahoma.
“By the time I realized I was also in the running for the main draw wildcard, I had already secured my spot in the qualifiers, and that was such a weight off my back,” she added.
It came down to a near head-to-head showdown between Mandlik and Liu, who were both competing in a WTA 125K tournament in Austin, Texas.
Mandlik will look for her first AO main draw victory when the first Grand Slam of the year kicks off the main draws on Sunday, January 18.
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