The Australian Open main draw is almost here, and plenty of players have already fought their way through qualifying to earn a spot on the big stage.
But not everyone made it. Kei Nishikori, who once reached the US Open final, pulled out before qualifying even began.
Jack Draper is another name missing from this year’s event, and there are several other notable absentees who had already confirmed they would not be taking part.
Sloane Stephens, on the other hand, will be in Melbourne. The former finalist has confirmed she will be taking part in the tournament.
Sloane Stephens earns Australian Open spot through qualifiers
Stephens, currently ranked 1,097th on the WTA Tour, has made it through the qualifying rounds to book her place in the Australian Open main draw.
She started her campaign with a convincing 6-1, 7-5 win over Barbora Palicova before coming from behind to defeat Olivia Gadecki 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
The 2017 US Open champion then finished off qualifying with another straight sets win over Lucia Bronzetti.
After that Grand Slam breakthrough, she went on to reach another major final at Roland Garros the following year but fell short against Simona Halep.
Sloane Stephens handed challenging first round draw
Stephens has not had much luck with her first-round draw at the Australian Open.
The American has been paired against Karolina Pliskova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist who reached the US Open final in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2021.
Although Pliskova came up short in both finals, losing to Angelique Kerber and Ashleigh Barty respectively, she still holds an impressive 17 WTA titles and once topped the world rankings.
While both players now find themselves outside the top 1,000, Pliskova remains a tough opponent for anyone early in a major tournament.
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