The Australian Open 2026 women’s singles entry list outlines which players are eligible to compete in the tournament’s main draw, how seeding is determined, where the direct acceptance cut-off sits, and how protected rankings, wildcards, and qualifying shape the final field.
As of January 9, this list is fully updated from the official December 22 entry deadline and reflects all confirmed entries.
The Australian Open rarely lies about the state of the women’s game, and the 2026 entry list offers a clear snapshot of where the tour now stands. The hierarchy at the top remains largely intact, but beneath it lies a depth that promises discomfort rather than certainty.
With established champions anchoring the seeds, former finalists and title contenders drifting outside them, and a familiar mix of protected rankings and wildcards adding further unpredictability, Melbourne is once again shaping up as a tournament where reputations may matter less than readiness. For those hoping the draw will be kind, the list suggests otherwise.
The official Australian Open draw will take place Thursday at 2:30 p.m. local time in Australia (Melbourne / AEDT), which corresponds to the following times worldwide:
WEDNESDAY (USA)
- 19:30 — Los Angeles
- 22:30 — New York
→ Midnight crossover
THURSDAY (South America → Europe → Asia → Australia)
- 00:30 — Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 03:30 — London, UK
- 04:30 — Berlin, Germany
- 06:30 — Moscow, Russia
- 09:00 — New Delhi, India
- 11:30 — Manila, Philippines & Beijing, China
- 14:30 — Melbourne, Australia
Draw Results AO2026
Aryna Sabalenka vs Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Qualifier
Suzan Lamens vs Anastasia Potapova
Mananchaya Sawangkaew vs Emma Raducanu
Victoria Mboko vs Emerson Jones
Caty McNally vs Qualifier
Polina Kudermetova vs Qualifier
Dalma Galfi vs Clara Tauson
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Qualifier
Anna Bondar vs Elizabeth Mandlik
Yulia Putintseva vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Elsa Jacquemot vs Marta Kostyuk
Iva Jovic vs Katie Volynets
Priscilla Hon vs Qualifier
Veronika Erjavec vs Magdalena Frech
Qualifier vs Jasmine Paolini
Coco Gauff vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Olga Danilovic vs Venus Williams
Qualifier vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Hailey Baptiste vs Marketa Vondrousova
Karolina Muchova vs Jaqueline Cristian
Alycia Parks vs Alexandra Eala
Ann Li vs Camila Osorio
Magda Linette vs Emma Navarro
Elina Svitolina vs Cristina Bucsa
Qualifier vs Francesca Jones
Talia Gibson vs Anna Blinkova
Barbora Krejcikova vs Diana Shnaider
Dayana Yastremska vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Qualifier vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Maria Sakkari vs Leolia Jeanjean
Donna Vekic vs Mirra Andreeva
Jessica Pegula vs Anastasia Zakharova
Emiliana Arango vs McCartney Kessler
Oksana Selekhmeteva vs Ella Seidel
Zarina Diyas vs Paula Badosa
Leylah Fernandez vs Janice Tjen
Karolina Pliskova vs Qualifier
Ashlyn Krueger vs Sara Bejlek
Oleksandra Oliynykova vs Madison Keys
Linda Noskova vs Darja Semenistaja
Shuai Zhang vs Taylah Preston
Xinyu Wang vs Qualifier
Rebecca Sramkova vs Jelena Ostapenko
Sofia Kenin vs Peyton Stearns
Petra Martic vs Tatjana Maria
Panna Udvardy vs Katerina Siniakova
Simona Waltert vs Amanda Anisimova
Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan
Varvara Gracheva vs Viktorija Golubic
Lulu Sun vs Qualifier
Tereza Valentova vs Maya Joint
Elise Mertens vs Qualifier
Solana Sierra vs Moyuka Uchijima
Daria Kasatkina vs Qualifier
Katie Boulter vs Belinda Bencic
Naomi Osaka vs Antonia Ruzic
Sorana Cirstea vs Eva Lys
Qualifier vs Kimberly Birrell
Laura Siegemund vs Liudmila Samsonova
Anna Kalinskaya vs Sonay Kartal
Julia Grabher vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Renata Zarazua vs Marie Bouzkova
Qualifier vs Iga Swiatek
How the Australian Open 2026 Women’s Seeds Are Determined
At a glance
- Seeds: Based on WTA rankings used at the entry deadline
- Direct acceptance cut-off: Inside the top ~100, excluding SRs and WCs
- Special rankings: Allow injured players entry without ranking penalty
- Wildcards: Allocated by Tennis Australia
- Qualifying: Final pathway into the main draw
The seeding list reflects a tour that has settled into a familiar hierarchy at the very top, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek again setting the pace. Beneath them, the picture is less rigid. Coco Gauff remains entrenched in the elite, but the presence of Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva inside the top ten underlines how quickly the balance can shift.
Further down the seeds, there is experience in abundance. Naomi Osaka returns as a protected contender rather than a dominant force, while Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova bring reliability without guarantees. The lower seeds are a mix of stability and risk: players good enough to punish a poor draw, yet rarely comfortable favourites in the second week.
The following table lists the 32 seeded players for the Australian Open 2026 women’s singles draw, based on the WTA rankings used at the entry deadline.
| Rank | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | BLR |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | POL |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | USA |
| 4 | Amanda Anisimova | USA |
| 5 | Elena Rybakina | KAZ |
| 6 | Jessica Pegula | USA |
| 7 | Madison Keys | USA |
| 8 | Jasmine Paolini | ITA |
| 9 | Mirra Andreeva | RUS |
| 10 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | RUS |
| 11 | Belinda Bencic | SUI |
| 12 | Clara Tauson | DEN |
| 13 | Linda Noskova | CZE |
| 14 | Elina Svitolina | UKR |
| 15 | Emma Navarro | USA |
| 16 | Naomi Osaka | JPN |
| 17 | Liudmila Samsonova | RUS |
| 18 | Victoria Mboko | CAN |
| 19 | Karolina Muchova | CZE |
| 20 | Elise Mertens | BEL |
| 21 | Diana Shnaider | RUS |
| 22 | Leylah Fernandez | CAN |
| 23 | Jelena Ostapenko | LAT |
| 24 | Qinwen Zheng | CHN |
| 25 | Paula Badosa | ESP |
| 26 | Marta Kostyuk | UKR |
| 27 | Dayana Yastremska | UKR |
| 28 | Sofia Kenin | USA |
| 29 | Emma Raducanu | GBR |
| 30 | Veronika Kudermetova | RUS |
| 31 | McCartney Kessler | USA |
| 32 | Maya Joint | AUS |
What the Direct Acceptance Cutoff Means
The non-seeded direct acceptances are where the draw begins to feel uncomfortable. This is a group heavy with players who have either been seeded recently or expect to be again. Marketa Vondrousova, Daria Kasatkina, Maria Sakkari and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova all sit outside the seeds but well inside the danger zone for anyone hoping for an easy first round.
It is also a section that rewards form rather than reputation. Several names here have fluctuated sharply over the past year, and the Australian Open has a habit of exposing that. For seeded players, this is where the draw can quietly turn hostile long before the second week comes into view.
AO 2026 Women’s Singles – Direct Acceptances
| Rank | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Anna Kalinskaya | RUS |
| 34 | Marketa Vondrousova | CZE |
| 35 | Iva Jovic | USA |
| 36 | Lois Boisson | FRA |
| 37 | Daria Kasatkina | AUS |
| 38 | Ann Li | USA |
| 39 | Jaqueline Cristian | ROU |
| 40 | Eva Lys | GER |
| 41 | Jessica Bouzas Maneiro | ESP |
| 42 | Marie Bouzkova | CZE |
| 43 | Sorana Cirstea | ROU |
| 44 | Ashlyn Krueger | USA |
| 45 | Tatjana Maria | GER |
| 46 | Laura Siegemund | GER |
| 47 | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | RUS |
| 48 | Katerina Siniakova | CZE |
| 49 | Emiliana Arango | COL |
| 50 | Anastasia Potapova | AUT |
| 51 | Maria Sakkari | GRE |
| 52 | Alexandra Eala | PHI |
| 53 | Janice Tjen | INA |
| 54 | Cristina Bucsa | ESP |
| 55 | Magda Linette | POL |
| 56 | Xinyu Wang | CHN |
| 57 | Beatriz Haddad Maia | BRA |
| 58 | Magdalena Frech | POL |
| 59 | Elsa Jacquemot | FRA |
| 60 | Tereza Valentova | CZE |
| 61 | Hailey Baptiste | USA |
| 62 | Anna Blinkova | |
| 63 | Peyton Stearns | USA |
| 65 | Barbora Krejcikova | CZE |
| 66 | Solana Sierra | ARG |
| 67 | Olga Danilovic | SRB |
| 68 | Viktorija Golubic | SUI |
| 69 | Sonay Kartal | GBR |
| 70 | Donna Vekic | CRO |
| 71 | Yulia Putintseva | KAZ |
| 72 | Rebecca Sramkova | SVK |
| 73 | Antonia Ruzic | CRO |
| 74 | Francesca Jones | GBR |
| 75 | Anna Bondar | HUN |
| 77 | Varvara Gracheva | FRA |
| 78 | Camila Osorio | COL |
| 79 | Renata Zarazua | MEX |
| 80 | Ajla Tomljanovic | AUS |
| 81 | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | ITA |
| 82 | Petra Marcinko | CRO |
| 83 | Caty McNally | USA |
| 84 | Ella Seidel | GER |
| 85 | Alycia Parks | USA |
| 86 | Simona Waltert | SUI |
| 87 | Shuai Zhang | CHN |
| 88 | Elena-Gabriela Ruse | ROU |
| 89 | Suzan Lamens | NED |
| 90 | Lulu Sun | NZL |
| 91 | Panna Udvardy | HUN |
| 92 | Sara Bejlek | CZE |
| 93 | Katie Volynets | USA |
| 94 | Moyuka Uchijima | JPN |
| 95 | Julia Grabher | AUT |
| 96 | Oleksandra Oliynykova | UKR |
| 97 | Kamilla Rakhimova | UZB |
| 98 | Kimberly Birrell | AUS |
| 99 | Dalma Galfi | HUN |
| 100 | Oksana Selekhmeteva | RUS |
| 101 | Darja Semenistaja | LAT |
| 102 | Kaja Juvan | SLO |
| 103 | Leolia Jeanjean | FRA |
How Special Rankings Affect the Draw
The Special Ranking entries bring a different sort of tension. Karolina Pliskova is the headline name, her ranking disguising a pedigree that still commands respect on hard courts. She is the kind of player no one wants to see early, particularly in Melbourne where first-strike tennis can still be rewarded.
Yafan Wang and Mananchaya Sawangkaew complete the SR list, both returning from absence rather than decline. Their inclusion is a reminder that ranking numbers can lag behind reality, and that protected entries often arrive with something to prove rather than something to protect.
AO 2026 Women’s Singles – Special Ranking (SR)
| Rank | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 40 SR | Karolina Pliskova | CZE |
| 71 SR | Yafan Wang | CHN |
| 100 SR | Mananchaya Sawangkaew | THA |
Why the Qualifying Field Is Stronger Than It Looks
The wildcard list follows a familiar Australian Open pattern: domestic investment, a nod to future promise, and one or two names that raise an eyebrow. Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson, Emerson Jones and Taylah Preston give the home crowd plenty to engage with, while Elizabeth Mandlik offers a more international edge together with Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
The standout curiosity is Zarina Diyas, whose ranking tells only part of the story. On her day, she remains capable of disrupting rhythm and patience — two qualities often in short supply during the opening rounds. Wildcards rarely shape tournaments, but they frequently shape early narratives, and Melbourne is rarely short of those.
The final name added to the wildcard list was Venus Williams. She becomes the oldest woman (45) to compete in the tournament’s main draw.
AO 2026 Women’s Singles – Wildcards
| Rank | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 119 | Priscilla Hon | AUS |
| 121 | Rakotomanga Rajaonah, T. | FRA |
| 122 | Talia Gibson | AUS |
| 150 | Emerson Jones | AUS |
| 182 | Elizabeth Mandlik | USA |
| 195 | Taylah Preston | AUS |
| 283 | Zarina Diyas | KAZ |
| 582 | Venus Williams | KAZ |
Australian Open 2026 Women’s Qualifying Entry List
The qualifying draw typically admits players ranked just outside the top 100, though late withdrawals from the main draw can push the cutoff lower. Several former top-50 players in this list are well placed to benefit if that happens in the days before qualifying begins.
| Rank | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 104 | Polina Kudermetova | UZB |
| 105 | Veronika Erjavec | SLO |
| 106 | Katie Boulter | GBR |
| 107 | Anastasia Zakharova | |
| 108 | Lucia Bronzetti | ITA |
| 109 | Mayar Sherif | EGY |
| 110 | Sinja Kraus | AUT |
| 112 | Zeynep Sonmez | TUR |
| 113 | Yuliia Starodubtseva | UKR |
| 114 | Aliaksandra Sasnovich | |
| 115 | Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva | AND |
| 115 (SR) | Madison Brengle | USA |
| 116 | Rebeka Masarova | SUI |
| 117 | Taylor Townsend | USA |
| 118 | Elina Avanesyan | ARM |
| 120 | Greet Minnen | BEL |
| 122 (SR) | Zhuoxuan Bai | CHN |
| 124 | Diane Parry | FRA |
| 125 | Tamara Korpatsch | GER |
| 126 | Hanne Vandewinkel | BEL |
| 127 | Anhelina Kalinina | UKR |
| 128 | Yue Yuan | CHN |
| 129 | Nikola Bartunkova | CZE |
| 129 (SR) | Sloane Stephens | USA |
| 130 | Marina Stakusic | CAN |
| 131 | Viktoriya Tomova | BUL |
| 133 | Joanna Garland | TPE |
| 134 | Linda Fruhvirtova | CZE |
| 135 | Lanlana Tararudee | THA |
| 137 | Arantxa Rus | NED |
| 138 | Linda Klimovicova | POL |
| 139 | Katarzyna Kawa | POL |
| 140 | Leyre Romero Gormaz | ESP |
| 141 | Lucrezia Stefanini | ITA |
| 142 | Lola Radivojevic | SRB |
| 143 | Maria Timofeeva | UZB |
| 145 | Kaitlin Quevedo | ESP |
| 146 | Dominika Salkova | CZE |
| 147 | Varvara Lepchenko | USA |
| 149 | Darja Vidmanova | CZE |
| 150 | Maja Chwalinska | POL |
| 152 | Maria Lourdes Carle | ARG |
| 153 | Daria Snigur | UKR |
| 154 | Anna-Lena Friedsam | GER |
| 155 | Iryna Shymanovich | |
| 156 | Himeno Sakatsume | JPN |
| 157 | Bernarda Pera | USA |
| 158 | Whitney Osuigwe | USA |
| 159 | Lilli Tagger | AUT |
| 160 | Astra Sharma | AUS |
| 161 | Tamara Zidansek | SLO |
| 162 | Despina Papamichail | GRE |
| 163 | Sofia Costoulas | BEL |
| 164 | Maddison Inglis | AUS |
| 165 | Alina Charaeva | |
| 166 | Xinyu Gao | CHN |
| 167 | Nuria Brancaccio | ITA |
| 168 | Lin Zhu | CHN |
| 169 | Polina Iatcenko | |
| 170 | Jessika Ponchet | FRA |
| 171 | Hanyu Guo | CHN |
| 172 | Harriet Dart | GBR |
| 173 | Carole Monnet | FRA |
| 173 (SR) | Fiona Ferro | FRA |
| 174 | Nao Hibino | JPN |
| 175 | Xiyu Wang | CHN |
| 176 | Louisa Chirico | USA |
| 177 | Teodora Kostovic | SRB |
| 179 | Ekaterine Gorgodze | GEO |
| 180 | Carson Branstine | CAN |
| 181 | Julia Riera | ARG |
| 183 | Andrea Lazaro Garcia | ESP |
| 184 | Guiomar Maristany Zuleta de Reales | ESP |
| 185 | Gabriela Knutson | CZE |
| 186 | Tatiana Prozorova | |
| 187 | Cadence Brace | CAN |
| 188 | Anastasija Sevastova | LAT |
| 189 | Jana Fett | CRO |
| 190 | Elena Pridankina | |
| 191 | Ana Sofia Sánchez | MEX |
| 192 | Yeonwoo Ku | KOR |
| 193 | Ena Shibahara | JPN |
| 194 | Anouk Koevermans | NED |
| 196 | Alice Rame | FRA |
| 198 (SR) | Kristina Mladenovic | FRA |
| 199 | Kayla Cross | CAN |
| 200 | Miriam Bulgaru | ROU |
| 201 | Laura Pigossi | BRA |
| 202 | Manon Leonard | FRA |
| 203 | Laura Samson | CZE |
| 204 | Lina Gjorcheska | MKD |
| 205 | Elvina Kalieva | USA |
| 206 | Olivia Gadecki | AUS |
| 207 | Claire Liu | USA |
| 208 | Arina Rodionova | AUS |
| 210 | Carol Young Suh Lee | USA |
| 211 | Alina Korneeva | |
| 213 | Francisca Jorge | POR |
| 214 | Anastasia Gasanova | |
| 215 | Selena Janicijevic | FRA |
| 216 | Nuria Parrizas Diaz | ESP |
| 217 | Silvia Ambrosio | ITA |
| 218 | Camilla Rosatello | ITA |
| 219 | Harmony Tan | FRA |
| 220 | Ye-Xin Ma | CHN |
| 221 | Justina Mikulskyte | LTU |
| 221 (SR) | Alice Tubello | FRA |
| 221 (SR) | Sachia Vickery | USA |
| 222 | Jazmin Ortenzi | ARG |
| 222 (SR) | Jennifer Brady | USA |
| 223 | Sada Nahimana | BDI |
| 224 | Viktoria Hruncakova | SVK |
| 225 | Luisina Giovannini | ARG |
| 226 | Eva Vedder | NED |
| 227 | Mary Stoiana | USA |
| 229 | Kathinka von Deichmann | LIE |
| 230 | Jessica Pieri | ITA |
| 231 | Barbora Palicova | CZE |
| 233 | Sijia Wei | CHN |
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