Maddison Inglis rides qualifier grit into Australian Open spotlight
From two match points down in qualifiers to a walkover Round of 16 berth, Australia’s Maddison Inglis savors her deepest Grand Slam run, gearing up for Iga Swiatek amid personal highs.
MELBOURNE, Australia – The outer courts baked under January sun as Maddison Inglis faced two match points against Leyre Romero Gormaz in her opening qualifier, her Australian Open 2026 dreams teetering on the edge. She saved them with a slice backhand that skidded low and forced an error, igniting a run that has her as the lone qualifier left in the draw. Advancing to the fourth round on a walkover after Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal, the 28-year-old Perth native now prepares to face world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, her body weary but spirit buoyed by home-crowd roars.
Inglis has logged 16 hours and 12 minutes across singles, doubles, and mixed, with nearly 13.5 hours in singles alone – a stark contrast to Swiatek’s efficient five-plus hours over three matches. Four of her five singles wins stretched to three sets, six of those sets decided by tiebreaks where she hung in rally after rally, using crosscourt angles to wear down opponents on the hard courts’ true bounce.
“To have these moments in Melbourne with family, friends ... it’s been a crazy couple of weeks so we’re just trying to enjoy it, just kind of cherish these moments because they don’t happen all the time,” Inglis said.
Saving match points forges mental steel
That qualifier opener against Romero Gormaz demanded instant adaptation, Inglis mixing heavy topspin forehands with down-the-line passes to flip the momentum on Melbourne Park’s medium-paced surface. From there, her second-round battle with Laura Siegemund dragged three hours and 20 minutes, forcing her to counter the German’s flat groundstrokes with inside-out backhands that pulled shots wide and opened the court. These marathons, her first real action of the year, built a tactical edge through sheer endurance, teaching her to reset after every point amid the heat’s draining tempo.
Tiebreaks became her arena for composure, navigating six high-wire finishes by treating each as a fresh start, often rallying from behind with aggressive net approaches that caught baselines tight. “Tiebreaks are something that I’ve never really been too worried about,” she reflected. “Even if you have a bad start in a tie break, you can come back. If you do have a good start, they can come back. Anything can happen, just got to kind of play one point at a time and yet just kind of hang around, which is what I think I’ve been doing.”
Friendship clash sharpens emotional resolve
Nowhere did the mental layers thicken more than in her three-set win over closest friend Kim Birrell, one that was both exciting and emotional for Inglis. They’ve trained on Queensland’s Gold Coast since age 10, families close-knit, turning the match into a push-pull of loyalty and drive under the packed stands’ electric hum. Inglis compartmentalized the stakes, her 1–2 patterns from the baseline disrupting Birrell’s rhythm with low slices that forced uncomfortable stretches, emerging with a victory that mixed relief and respect.
“That was really tough, but that’s kind of tennis, and you’ve somehow got to block it out,” she said. “I was really proud of myself in that match for how I was able to do that and also play some good tennis. She’s such a tough competitor.” This marks her 11th Australian Open since 2014, the deepest run yet – only her fourth main draw, and the first time qualifiers carried her past the opening rounds, eclipsing her 2022 wildcard surge to the third round with upsets over No. 23 Leylah Fernandez and Hailey Baptiste before Kaia Kanepi ended it.
Reflecting on that 2022 magic as a No. 133 seed, Inglis noted the value of match toughness. “That was a pretty crazy couple of weeks,” she said. “I got a wild card in ... so probably didn’t play as much tennis as I have now, but I think it’s also so good that I’ve had so much time on court.” Their prior meeting with Swiatek came over five years ago at the 2021 Adelaide International, a 6-1, 6-3 straight-sets loss, but time and court hours have reshaped her approach against top foes – her first top-five test since Sofia Kenin in the 2021 Australian Open first round.
Personal joys anchor the hard-court push
Ranked No. 168 in the PIF WTA Rankings, Inglis has banked 240 points from this run, guaranteed at least $480,000 AUD ($322,430 USD) in singles prize money, with a quarterfinal win against Swiatek jumping that to 430 points and $750,000 AUD ($503,795 USD). The walkover buys precious recovery, her body acclimating to the swing’s demands through those extended sessions on the grippy acrylic hard courts. “The rest day for me is awesome,” she said. “Just to have an extra day to rest my body and get some good sleep is really important. I’m super excited to get out there and train today and have another go tomorrow.”
Off the court, jubilation tempers the grind: engaged last month to Jason Kubler on Rottnest Island off Perth, they’ve shared every moment since, from a first-round mixed doubles exit here to his steady practice-court presence. “The last month has been pretty crazy,” Inglis said. “When Jason did ask me, that was such an exciting day. We’ve been able to spend every day together since then, which has been really special. He’s been amazing support. Whenever he can be on the side of the court at my practice, he’s there. So it means a lot.
“We have made a little bit of money this tournament. We’ve been really trying to buy something together -- buy a house together. I think this obviously really helps with that and for our future.”
Born and raised in Perth, now Gold Coast-based, Inglis thrives in the beach vibe, her passion for dogs unwavering – she misses family caboodle Benson and dreams of adding one post-wedding with Kubler. Lately, Lego sets have hooked her as a unwind ritual, sparked by assembling a Christmas gift with her nephew. “I’ve recently been interested in Lego, which is a little bit of a weird thing for me,” she admitted. “I bought a little Lego box for my nephew for Christmas, and I helped him build it. I was like ‘Wow, this is really fun.' So I have bought a few things since then.
“it’s just so good to switch off and kind of create something cute and pop them around the house. That’s been a thing lately that I’m really enjoying.” As Monday’s clash looms on Rod Laver Arena, Inglis’ blend of tiebreak tenacity, tactical tweaks like underspin to low-slice the ball, and off-court anchors positions her to challenge Swiatek’s precision, potentially etching her name deeper into Australian Open lore with home-fueled fire.
