Joao Fonseca, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Chris Eubanks: AO qualifying final round storylines
Rising talents Kudermetova and Tien, along with Aussie Birrell and veterans Martic and Garin, also seek main-draw tickets.
The final round of Australian Open qualifying will be carried out Thursday at Melbourne Park. Sixteen spots are up for grabs in each field, with the main draws set to be revealed in the afternoon locally.
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But first, a rundown of what to watch for as qualies comes to a close:
Fonseca seeks maiden major main draw
Fresh off winning the Next Gen ATP Finals in December and opening his season with the Canberra Challenger crown, the highly-touted 18-year-old is now a win away from getting his first taste of a Grand Slam fortnight.
Fonseca produced 24 winners to 12 unforced errors in his 6-0, 6-3 rout of Coleman Wong and will be a tough out for No. 12 seed Thiago Agustín Tirante of Argentina.
More teenage dreams at stake
Beyond Fonseca, teen talent extends elsewhere in Melbourne. There’s 17-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova, who ousted fourth-seeded Sara Errani with a 6-0, 6-2 drubbing and previously knocked off Mirra Andreeva at Wimbledon last year. Countrywoman Sara Bejlek, 18, looks to reach her third successive main draw Down Under. And Spain’s Martin Landaluce, who turned 19 on Wednesday, is yet to drop a set heading into his clash with Dalibor Svrcina. Jozef Kovalík stands between 19-year-old Learner Tien, the runner-up to Fonseca in Jeddah, and a debut in the 128-player draw.
Is 20 or 21 the magic age, though?
Go just past the teenage years and you’ll have a full batch of Australian Open prospects. The 20-year-olds in action: Anca Todoni, Henrique Rocha, Elena Micic and Lucija Ciric Bagaric Brisbane runner-up Polina Kudermetova headlines a group of 21-year-olds that includes Jaime Faria, Oksana Selekhmeteva, Mark Lajal and Wei Sijia.
Plenty of U.S. chances
Seven Americans feature on the schedule, as one matchup pits countrymen together with fourth seed Chris Eubanks facing Tristan Boyer. This is an important tournament for Eubanks, having reached the second round in his last two appearances. Tien is joined by Mackenzie McDonald and Mitchell Krueger.
On the women’s side, Sachia Vickery, Varvara Lepchenko and Emina Bektas take on higher-ranked opponents in Viktorija Golubic, Todoni and Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Names you already know
Veterans have plenty of representation here, too. Take top men’s qualifying seed Dominik Koepfer, holder of main-draw wins at all four majors. Petra Martic has been to the second week of every Grand Slam event and is joined by past Wimbledon quarterfinalists Golubic and Cristian Garin, plus 2021 French Open semifinalist Tamara Zidansek. Former ATP No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili and WTA No. 21 Jil Teichmann are also vying to get back into the mix.
What about home hopefuls?
Kimberly Birrell, on the back of advancing to the Brisbane quarterfinals, has kept things rolling through two matches. The Queenslander is one of four Australian women in the hunt, along with Destinaee Aiava, Maddison Inglis and Micic.
The lone Aussie left for the men? Wild card Blake Ellis, who awaits Koepfer.