World No. 4 Anisimova will kick off 2026 season in Brisbane

Amanda Anisimova will kick off her 2026 season in Brisbane.

The World No. 4, coming off the season of her career, is one of four Top 10 players (so far) in the WTA 500 field, along with World No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 5 and reigning WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina and Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

Home favorite Daria Kasatkina is also in the field.

"I love playing in Australia and I’m really looking forward to starting my 2026 season in Brisbane," Anisimova said. "It’s the perfect setting for me to build some momentum ahead of the Australian Open.

Anisimova started the 2025 season ranked No. 36, but jumped into the Top 20 after winning her first WTA 1000 title in Doha. In the summer she reached the final on grass at the HSBC Championships in London, foreshadowing her run to the Wimbledon final a month later.

After reaching another major final at the US Open in September -- and avenging her defeat to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final -- the 24-year-old moved into the Top 5 of the PIF WTA Rankings for the first time.

She finished strong in Asia, winning another WTA 1000 title in Beijing, and ended her season with her first-ever appearance at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. (She advanced out of the group stage before losing to Sabalenka in three sets in the semifinals.)

This will be Anisimova's first time playing Brisbane. The US Open runner-up played Auckland and Hobart ahead of the Australian Open last year, going 3-3 during the Australian swing.

The Brisbane International is a combined WTA 500/ATP 250 event, and it's the second tournament of the 2026 season following the United Cup, which is played in Perth and Sydney.

Played on hard courts, the Brisbane International starts on Jan. 4 and concludes on Jan. 11.