The Australian Open will see high-profile players even competing before the main draw gets underway.
This year will see the Australian Open offer record prize money, as players compete in Melbourne at the first major of the 2026 season.
Defending champions at this year’s tournament will be Jannik Sinner, who is looking to win his third consecutive Australian Open, and Madison Keys.
Both players are seeded at this year’s Australian Open, while another Grand Slam champion is competing in the qualifying draw instead.
Sloane Stephens is the only Grand Slam champion in Australian Open qualifying
The Australian Open qualifying draw has been made and features many eye-catching hopefuls, including Kei Nishikori, Bernard Tomic, Taylor Townsend, and Anhelina Kalinina.
While these players are all well-known among tennis fans, there is only one Grand Slam champion competing in Australian Open qualifying this year.
That Grand Slam champion is Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open winner who reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2013.
After being kept out of action for seven months last year with a foot injury, Stephens is now ranked outside the top 1000 in the WTA rankings.
However, after using a protected ranking, Stephens has entered Grand Slam qualifying for the first time since Wimbledon in 2012.
Stephens will begin her Australian Open qualifying campaign against Czech player Barbora Palicova, who she has never played before.
| Australian Open 2026 Qualifying | Sloane Stephens’s Potential Draw |
| First Round | Barbora Palicova |
| Second Round | Arantxa Rus (22)/Olivia Gadecki |
| Third Round | Lucia Bronzetti (2)/Nuria/Brancaccio/Mary Stoiana/Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov |
When did Sloane Stephens last win a tennis match?
Not only will Stephens be looking to book her place in the Australian Open main draw, but she will also be hoping to end the losing streak she is currently on.
Dating back to Wimbledon in 2024, Stephens has lost her last 13 matches, with nine of those defeats coming in straight sets.
This includes her only match of the 2026 season so far, with Stephens losing to Renata Zarazua at the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland.
| Tournament | Result |
| Wimbledon 2024 (2R) | Diana Shnaider beat Stephens, 6-1 6-1 |
| Washington Open 2024 (1R) | Amanda Anisimova beat Stephens, 6-3 7-5 |
| Canadian Open 2024 (1R) | Greet Minnen beat Stephens, 6-2 6-2 |
| US Open 2024 (1R) | Clara Burel beat Stephens, 0-6 7-5 7-5 |
| Guadalajara Open 2024 (1R) | Olivia Gadecki beat Stephens, 6-4 6-3 |
| Korea Open 2024 (1R) | Hailey Baptiste beat Stephens, 7-6(4) 6-2 |
| Auckland Open 2025 (1R) | Ann Li beat Stephens, 5-7 6-4 6-4 |
| Hobart International 2025 (1R) | Ann Li beat Stephens, 7-5 6-1 |
| Australian Open 2025 (1R) | Aryna Sabalenka beat Stephens, 6-3 6-2 |
| Merida Open 2025 (1R) | Petra Martic beat Stephens, 6-2 6-3 |
| Guadalajara Open 2025 (1R) | Lucrezia Stefanini beat Stephens, 6-4 4-6 6-1 |
| Abierto Tampico 2025 (1R) | Sahaja Yamalapalli beat Stephens, 6-2 6-2 |
| ASB Classic 2026 (1R) | Renata Zarazua beat Stephens, 7-5 4-6 6-2 |
Stephens will be hoping that this run comes to an end, as she looks to climb her way back up the WTA rankings.
If the former world number three does lose in the first round of Australian Open qualifying, it will only heighten rumors about Stephens potentially retiring from tennis in 2026.
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