Sabalenka, Swiatek head Australian Open entry list; 101 of Top 103 entered
The Australian Open main-draw entry list has been released, with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek leading 101 of the Top 103 players in the world into the first Grand Slam of the 2026 season.
The list is based on the PIF WTA Rankings of December 8, and the last direct entry is No. 103 Leolia Jeanjean. Only two players in the current Top 103 have not entered -- No. 64 Danielle Collins and No. 76 Ons Jabeur, who is on maternity leave.
Three players have entered using special rankings following absences of six months or more due to injury, illness or maternity leave:
- No. 1,056 Karolina Pliskova (using a special ranking of No. 40)
- No. 277 Wang Yafan (using a special ranking of No. 71)
- No. 236 Mananchaya Sawangkaew (using a special ranking of No. 100)
Four former Australian Open champions will contest the main draw directly: Sabalenka (2023, 2024), defending champion Madison Keys (2025), Naomi Osaka (2019, 2021) and Sofia Kenin (2020). They will be joined by seven further Grand Slam winners -- Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova.
Eight former Grand Slam finalists have also entered the field -- Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Karolina Muchova, Leylah Fernandez, Zheng Qinwen, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Pliskova.
The youngest player to receive direct entry is 18-year-old Iva Jovic -- one of six teenagers to do so, alongside Mirra Andreeva, Victoria Mboko, Maya Joint, Tereza Valentova and Sara Bejlek. The youngest player confirmed in the main-draw field so far is 17-year-old wild card Emerson Jones. The oldest player to receive direct entry is 38-year-old Tatjana Maria.
The first 15 alternates to the main draw in case of withdrawals are as follows:
1. Polina Kudermetova
2. Veronika Erjavec
3. Katie Boulter
4. Anastasia Zakharova
5. Lucia Bronzetti
6. Mayar Sherif
7. Sinja Kraus
8. Caroline Dolehide
9. Zeynep Sonmez
10. Yuliia Starodubtseva
11. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
12. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva
13. Madison Brengle (using a special ranking of No. 115)
14. Rebeka Masarova
15. Taylor Townsend
Click here to view the full 2026 Australian Open main-draw entry list.