Without Zheng Qinwen, the Australian Open warm-up first round lineup is here!

For professional players, the most significant events each new season are the Grand Slam tournaments. These four major events spread across the year provide higher points and prize money, and remain the ultimate goal for players to pursue.

Naturally, before every Grand Slam, there are many lead-up tournaments to help players prepare better, enabling them to become accustomed to the playing conditions and boost their performance. For instance, before the French Open each year, several well-known clay court events such as Rome, Stuttgart, and Madrid take place, which are not only high-level tournaments but also offer substantial prize money. Likewise, before the US Open, major events like Cincinnati, Monte Carlo, and Washington are held.

In comparison, the warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open and Wimbledon are relatively fewer. Wimbledon, being the only grass-court Grand Slam, has the highest-level women's warm-up event at just a WTA 500 (Berlin). Meanwhile, although the Australian Open is a regular hard-court Grand Slam, players only have two to three weeks to warm up before it starts, with the highest-level warm-up events also being WTA 500 tournaments, held in Brisbane and Adelaide for the women’s events.

Currently, about a month remains until the 2026 Australian Open officially begins, and the latest participant lists for the Brisbane WTA 500 and ATP 250 tournaments have been released. The women’s draw is led by the current world No.1 Sabalenka, with seven top-ten players including Anisimova, Rybakina, Pegula, Keys, Andreescu, and Alexandrova competing in this event.

Although this is only a WTA 500 level tournament, the presence of many top-ten players makes this year’s Brisbane women’s event a star-studded lineup. Additionally, well-known big names like Ostapenko, Noskova, Kasatkina, and Badosa are also on the entry list.

Of course, Zheng Qinwen has still not registered for any Australian Open warm-up events. According to previous media reports, Zheng may choose to directly enter Melbourne Park for the 2026 Australian Open. Many fans remain concerned about her recovery since her surgery at Wimbledon this year, and the extended break from competition has allowed her more time to recuperate physically.

It is worth noting that although the Brisbane men’s tournament is of a lower level, only an ATP 250 event, four top-20 male players including Medvedev and Davidovich have signed up. Overall, the lineup for next year’s Brisbane tournament looks quite exciting!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)