It's finally time to prepare for 'The Happy Slam'. The Australian Open is set to start on January 18th, and before that comes the qualifying process.

The road to Melbourne has opened up for quite a few women players this time, who are eligible for the qualification starting on 12th January.

Starting off strong are 4 grand slam finalists, including 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady.

Stephens is looking for a comeback since her foot injury sidelined her for months. Brady, too, looks to come back after a two-year hiatus following a knee injury.

Both Stephens and Brady are among eight players using special rankings abbreviated as SR next to the player's name.

Joining them are Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, a 2018 US Open semifinalist, and Tamara Zidansek, a semifinalist at the Roland Garros (French Open) in 2021.

Teens joining the party

Always open to young talent, the draw welcomes 7 teenagers with direct entry.

With all eyes on 17-year-old Lilli Tagger. The Roland Garros junior champion announced herself on the pro stage by reaching the Jiujiang final on her tour-level debut in October.

Fellow newcomers besides her are Nikola Bartunkova, Kaitlin Quevedo, Luisina Giovannini, Teodora Kostovic, Alina Korneeva, and Laura Samson.

But there are also some absentees

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka and 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu will be sitting out. Priscilla Hon and Talia Gibson from Australia are also not featured.

The list is based on the PIF WTA Rankings from December 22, 2025, with No. 104 Polina Kudermetova as the highest and No. 233 Wei Sijia as the last acceptable rank.

From former champions to 17-year-olds rising, the draw reflects diversity and comeback stories.

As qualifying gets underway at Melbourne Park, who do you think will get the most cheers?

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Joyita Das