West Australian’s Storm Hunter, Talia Gibson, Maddison Inglis and Tristan Schoolkate are all through to the 2nd round of the Australian Open 2024 Qualifying Singles.
Storm Hunter began her qualifying quest yesterday with a victory over former world No.15 Kaia Kanepi. The world No.1 doubles star described the performances from the Aussie women this week at Melbourne Park as “unreal”.
“A lot of them are younger girls too and it’s their first time playing qualies in a Slam,” Hunter noted.
“I think success kind of breeds success, so to see that and get that belief and motivation is awesome.
“It’s super exciting and hopefully we can all keep going.”
The 29-year-old was relieved after posting her 6-3 6-2 victory against Kanepi, who is ranked four spots higher at world No.175.
“When I saw the draw, I thought that’s pretty tough,” world No.179 Hunter said.
“Kanepi’s an unbelievable player, she’s gone so well at Slams and had an amazing career, so I definitely knew I had to bring my A game.”
The 38-year-old Estonian, a seven-time Grand Slam singles quarterfinalist, made a strong start in their Court 3 meeting.
“I started off pretty average, 3-0 down pretty quickly,” Hunter said.
“(But) I ended up playing a really good match played on my terms and I was enjoying the crowd out there. It was a lot of fun.”
Maddison Inglis also earned a second-round spot, recording a hard-fought 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory against world No.107 Nuria Parrizas Diaz yesterday.
“This morning and yesterday I watched a few of the girls and they’re all playing so well,” Inglis said of her Aussie peers.
“I feel like there’s a lot of belief and we’re all encouraging each other. I’m really happy for the other girls and I’m really happy to be one of the nine through.”
The 25-year-old wildcard needed two hours and 31 minutes to navigate past the in-form Parrizas Diaz, who scooped a WTA 125 title in Canberra last week.
“It’s always good to get through those really tight ones, especially against a good player,” world No.283 Inglis said after recording her biggest win since August 2022.
“It feels really good to get a win like that … Hopefully it’s a good starting point for the rest of the tournament.”
West Aussie teen Talia Gibson scored milestone victory yesterday in the Australian Open 2024 women’s qualifying singles competition.
The wildcard entrant upset a higher-ranked opponent at Melbourne Park to record their first wins at Grand Slam level.
The 19-year-old Gibson triumphed 6-3 1-6 6-2 against Romanian Andreea Mitu, a player 13 years her senior.
“It’s my first win at Grand Slam level and second at WTA level, so I’m really proud of today’s effort,” beamed world No.229 Gibson.
“(I’ve been dreaming of this) ever since I was little. Being able to play a Grand Slam in your home country is just incredible, so this is very special to me.”
Gibson, a winner in 12 of her past 13 matches, faces Czech teen Brenda Fruhvirtova in the next round.
In the men’s singles qualifying, West Aussie Tristan Schoolkate, rallied from a set down to overcome Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro 5-7 6-4 6-3.
Yesterday, WA’s Astra Sharma went down to Maria Timofeeva 6-2 6-4 in the second round.
Upcoming Matches:
Women’s qualifying singles, second round
Storm Hunter (AUS) v [30] Celine Naef (SUI)
[WC] Talia Gibson (AUS) v [10] Brenda Fruhvirtova (CZE)
[WC] Maddison Inglis (AUS) v Katarina Zavatska (UKR)
Men’s qualifying singles, second round
[WC] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) v [27] Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN)
VIEW: Full Australian Open 2023 women’s qualifying singles draw
VIEW: Full Australian Open 2023 men’s qualifying singles draw
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