australian open qualifying live: scores, schedule, draw and bracket

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• Women’s qualifiers for the 2026 Australian Open — full list
• Men who made the main draw from qualifying
• How qualifying works and the number of slots
• Where the action took place: Melbourne Park details
• Qualifying schedule at a glance — dates and rounds
• Women’s qualifying — final day (Round 3) highlights
• Men’s qualifying — final day (Round 3) recap
• Selected match storylines from Round 2
  • Women’s notable wins
  • Men’s standout upsets
• Early-round moments that shaped qualifying
• How to read the draw and follow results live
• Players to watch in the main draw who came through qualifying
• Broadcast and viewing notes for fans
• Practical details for Melbourne Park visitors

The Australian Open qualifying rounds unfolded across Melbourne Park, where hopefuls battled for 16 coveted spots in each singles draw. Over four days, rising stars, former top players and local wildcards fought for a place in the year’s first Grand Slam.

Women’s qualifiers for the 2026 Australian Open — full list

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• Linda Klimovicova (POL) — seeded 23
• Zeynap Sonmez (TUR) — seeded 5
• Sloane Stephens (USA)
• Yulia Starodubtseva (UKR) — seeded 6
• Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)
• Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) — seeded 16
• Guiomar Maristany (ESP)
• Zhuoxuan Bai (CHN)
• Marina Stakusic (CAN) — seeded 17
• Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE) — seeded 20
• Yue Yuan (CHN) — seeded 25
• Storm Hunter (AUS) — wildcard
• Aliaksandra Sasnovich
• Himeno Sakatsume (JPN)
• Lanlana Tararudee (THA) — seeded 21
• Maddison Inglis (AUS)

Men who made the main draw from qualifying

• Rei Sakamoto (JPN)
• Arthur Fery (GBR)
• Jaime Faria (POR)
• Nikolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR) — seeded 23
• Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)
• Dane Sweeny (AUS)
• Yibing Wu (CHN)
• Rafael Jodor (ESP)
• Elias Ymer (SWE)
• Francesco Maestrelli (ITA) — seeded 24
• Arthur Gea (FRA)
• Liam Draxl (CAN) — seeded 20
• Martin Damm (USA)
• Jason Kubler (AUS)
• Michael Zheng (USA)
• Zachary Svajda (USA)

How qualifying works and the number of slots

The qualifying competition runs separately from the main 128-player singles draw. Each player must win three matches to secure a main-draw berth.

• 16 qualifiers advance to each of the men’s and women’s main draws.
• Main draw composition: 104 ranking entries, 16 qualifiers and 8 wildcards.

Where the action took place: Melbourne Park details

All qualifying matches were staged at Melbourne Park. The complex features more than 30 hard courts.

The site is the same one that hosts the main Australian Open events.

Qualifying schedule at a glance — dates and rounds

• Qualifying began: Monday, January 12, 2026.
• Final qualifying round: Thursday, January 15, 2026.
• Round 1 played Jan. 12–13, Round 2 on Jan. 14, Round 3 on Jan. 15.

Women’s qualifying — final day (Round 3) highlights

The deciding day delivered tense three-setters and straight-set breakthroughs.

Date	Time (AEDT)	Match	Court	Score
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) vs. Sloane Stephens (USA)	6	6-1 7-5
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Zeynap Sonmez (TUR) vs. Anastasia Gasanova	5	6-3 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Maja Chwalinska (POL) vs. Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)	7	5-7 6-2 6-1
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Guiomar Maristany (ESP) vs. Elvina Kalieva (USA)	12	7-5 4-6 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Greet Minnen (BEL) vs. Linda Klimovicova (POL)	13	6-4 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Yulia Starodubtseva (UKR) vs. Viktoriya Tomova	14	7-6(3) 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Carol Lee (USA) vs. Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE)	8	5-7 6-2 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Lin Zhu (CHN) vs. Marina Stakusic (CAN)	13	7-5 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) vs. Wendy Osuigwe	15	6-1 6-0
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Zhuoxuan Bai (CHN) vs. Darja Vidmanova	16	4-6 6-4 6-1
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Tamara Zidansek vs. Yue Yuan (CHN)	17	6-3 6-1
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Taylor Townsend vs. Storm Hunter (AUS)	6	7-6(6) 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Tamara Korpatsch vs. Maddison Inglis (AUS)	7	6-4 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Lilli Tagger vs. Lanlana Tararudee (THA)	12	6-3 6-0
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Daria Snigur	15	6-2 0-6 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Marina Bassols vs. Himeno Sakatsume (JPN)	16	4-6 7-6(3) 6-4

Men’s qualifying — final day (Round 3) recap

Hosts and international hopefuls produced tight finishes on the final day of men’s qualifying.

Date	Time (AEDT)	Match	Court	Score
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Stefano Travaglia vs. Dane Sweeny (AUS)	ANZ	7-6(5) 7-6(3)
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Jaime Faria (POR) vs. Marco Trungelliti	8	7-6(5) 6-3
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Dino Prizmic vs. Arthur Fery (GBR)	15	6-4 6-1
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	Giulio Zeppieri vs. Rei Sakamoto (JPN)	16	6-2 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	11:00 AM	George Loffhagen vs. Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)	17	5-7 6-4 6-4
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Elias Ymer (SWE) vs. Coleman Wong	ANZ	6-7(4) 6-4 6-3
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Pierre Hugues Herbert vs. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR)	5	6-2 6-3
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Yibing Wu (CHN) vs. Tristan Boyer	6	6-3 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Dusan Lajovic vs. Francesco Maestrelli (ITA)	7	4-6 6-4 6-3
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Gilles Bailly vs. Martin Damm (USA)	12	7-5 7-5
Thu. Jan 15	12:30 PM	Rafael Jodor (ESP) vs. Luca van Assche	14	6-3 0-6 6-1
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Alexander Blockx vs. Jason Kubler (AUS)	ANZ	3-6 6-3 1-0 RET.
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Mackenzie McDonald vs. Liam Draxl (CAN)	5	3-6 7-6(2) 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Kimmer Coppejans vs. Zachary Svajda (USA)	8	7-6(5) 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Arthur Gea (FRA) vs. Daniel Vallejo	13	6-2 6-2
Thu. Jan 15	2:00 PM	Michael Zheng (USA) vs. Lukas Klein	16	4-6 6-3 7-6(10)

Selected match storylines from Round 2

Women’s notable wins

• Lucia Bronzetti survived a three-set test to reach the final qualifying day.
• Sloane Stephens overcame Olivia Gadecki in a comeback victory on Kia Court.
• Yulia Starodubtseva and Zeynap Sonmez both closed in straight sets.
• Wildcards and lower-ranked players pushed seeded opponents and produced late tiebreak drama.

Men’s standout upsets

• Nishesh Basavareddy edged past Sebastian Ofner in a long tiebreak finish.
• Arthur Fery beat Bernard Tomic to keep his run alive.
• Rei Sakamoto and Yibing Wu recorded tidy wins to reach round three.
• Several matches ended with retirements or late-set recoveries that shifted momentum.

Early-round moments that shaped qualifying

Round 1 produced seeds who stumbled and wildcards who seized the moment.

• Storm Hunter opened her qualifying with a straight-sets win as a wildcard.
• Several seeds, including top-10 qualifying entrants, faced immediate resistance.
• Local players made noise, with Australians like Maddison Inglis and Jason Kubler advancing.
• Matches took place across KIA, ANZ and show courts, giving fans varied viewing options.

How to read the draw and follow results live

Each qualifier must win three matches. The draw is split into sections of 16 players per qualifying spot.

• Round 1: initial elimination over Jan. 12–13.
• Round 2: winners face off on Jan. 14.
• Round 3: final qualifying deciders on Jan. 15.

Live scores and order of play were published daily for fans tracking specific matches.

Players to watch in the main draw who came through qualifying

• Sloane Stephens — former major champion using qualifying to regain momentum.
• Jason Kubler — home favourite known for strong hard-court form.
• Linda Klimovicova and Yulia Starodubtseva — in-form challengers from the qualifiers.
• Yibing Wu and Zachary Svajda — young contenders who can surprise seeded players.

Broadcast and viewing notes for fans

Qualifying matches were available via tournament streaming platforms and broadcaster coverage in many countries.

• Order of play updated each morning of competition.
• Key sessions on main show courts drew larger crowds and TV slots.

Practical details for Melbourne Park visitors

Melbourne Park’s hard courts and multiple show courts made scheduling across four days manageable.

• Ticket types ranged from single-session entry to ground passes.
• Fans could watch multiple matches on the same day across courts.