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Eight Australian men and nine Australian women have been awarded wildcards into the Australian Open 2023 qualifying events.
Melbourne, Australia, 6 January 2023 | tennis.com.au
Some of Australia’s most promising young talents are set to contest the Australian Open 2023 men’s and women’s qualifying singles competition.
Eight Australian men and nine Australian women have been awarded wildcards into the qualifying event for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Adam Walton, at age 23, is the oldest recipient of an AO 2023 men’s qualifying singles wildcard. The US college graduate turned professional last season and skyrocketed up the rankings after winning three ITF titles.
Dane Sweeny, a 21-year-old from Queensland, claimed six ITF singles title during a breakout 2022 season that saw him break into the world’s top 250.
Teenage talents Philip Sekulic and Edward Winter showed their promise at last year’s Australian Open, winning their first Grand Slam-level matches in qualifying. Both went on to achieve new career-high rankings during 2022.
Tristan Schoolkate, James McCabe and Derek Pham have also received wildcards, along with Jeremy Jin. The 18-year-old Jin competed in all four junior Grand Slam tournaments in 2022 and will make his major debut.
American teen Bruno Kuzuhara, the reigning Australian Open boys’ singles champion, has also been awarded a men’s qualifying singles wildcard.
| Australian Open 2023 Men’s qualifying singles wildcards |
||
| Name | Age | Ranking |
| Dane Sweeny (Qld) | 21 | No.249 |
| Tristan Schoolkate (WA) | 21 | No.367 |
| James McCabe (NSW) | 19 | No.406 |
| Adam Walton (Qld) | 23 | No.432 |
| Philip Sekulic (Qld) | 19 | No.543 |
| Bruno Kuzuhara (USA) | 18 | No.636 |
| Edward Winter (SA) | 18 | No.672 |
| Jeremy Jin (NSW) | 18 | No.990 |
| Derek Pham (WA) | 18 | No.1017 |
Astra Sharma, Destanee Aiava and Ellen Perez, who have all represented Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup, headline the women’s qualifying singles wildcard recipients.
Sharma achieved a career-high singles ranking of No.84 last season and is hoping to earn a fifth consecutive main-draw appearance at her home Grand Slam.
Petra Hule is another recent US college graduate making giant inroads on the tour. The 23-year-old from South Australia posted consistent results on the Australian Pro Tour last year, helping her break into the world’s top 500.
Aiava and Lizette Cabrera, both former top 150 players, have been recognised for their recent success on the Australian Pro Tour.
| Australian Open 2023 Women’s qualifying singles wildcards |
||
| Name | Age | Ranking |
| Astra Sharma (WA) | 27 | No.233 |
| Lizette Cabrera (Qld) | 25 | No.265 |
| Alexandra Bozovic (NSW) | 23 | No.307 |
| Destanee Aiava (Vic) | 22 | No.311 |
| Ellen Perez (NSW) | 27 | No.364 |
| Seone Mendez (NSW) | 23 | No.375 |
| Petra Hule (SA) | 23 | No.452 |
| Kaylah McPhee (Qld) | 24 | No.580 |
| Elysia Bolton (NSW) | 22 | No.681 |
A total of 29 Australian players (15 men and 14 women) will feature in the AO 2023 qualifying competitions, which run from Monday 9-12 January at Melbourne Park.
Tickets are now on sale to be part of the action.
Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!
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