Newly engaged Australian tennis players Maddison Inglis and Jason Kubler are into the Australian Open

Newly engaged Aussie tennis players Maddison Inglis and Jason Kubler have made it into the Australian Open, starting on Sunday. The pair, who made it through the qualifying rounds on Thursday, with the achievement made sweeter with Inglis describing it as a “dream come true” on Instagram. “It’s pretty crazy. It’s not every day you both get through qualifying, and are in the main draw of a grand slam,” Inglis said after both qualified on Thursday. “I’m so happy for him. He deserves it,” she said after both qualified. “He’s had a tough few years with injuries and I’m sure it means a world to him too.” Kubler takes on 29th seed Frances Tiafoe in the first round, while Inglis will take on fellow Aussie Kimberly Birrell. Kubler and Inglis, who become engaged on Rottnest Island in WA in December, were part of Australia’s United Cup team earlier this month. “It was super exciting. I didn’t anticipate the hour leading up. I was so nervous. That was crazy. Felt like we were on a first date again,” Kubler said earlier. “Very happy I did it. Very happy Maddy said yes, which is good.” Meanwhile, Australia’s greatest hope for this year’s AO, Alex de Minaur will have to overcome one of the toughest draws of his career to create history at the Australian Open. The draw includes a potential bout with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in a quarter-final after a tricky start. De Minaur, who has never lost to a seed below him at the AO, was always going to draw one of the top four in the quarters as the world’s sixth seed. The preferred option for the Aussie would have been No. 3 Alexander Zverev – an opponent he has defeated three times – but he drew the speedy Spaniard instead. Alcaraz and de Minaur have never met in a Grand Slam but the former has a 5-0 record in other encounters. But ‘The Demon’ will have to get to Alcaraz first after drawing Matteo Berrettini in the opening round. Berrettini, who made the semi-finals at the Aus Open in 2022, has faced de Minaur on five occasions and won three times. Adam Walton, another Aussie, has drawn Alcaraz in the first round while Alexei Popyrin could set up a date with Alexander Zverev in the second round should he advance. In the women’s draw, Aussie teenager Maya Joint will come up against another rising star in the Czech Republic's Tereza Valentova. Joint – who defeated former AO winner Sofia Kenin at the Adelaide International – already has a world ranking of 30 at the age of 19. Valentova, only 18, went down to Madison Keys at the Adelaide International but won her previous matches in straight sets. If Joint is to proceed through the first and second round, she could run into world No. 5 Elena Rybakina in the third round. The draw came just after Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew from the Aus Open singles event. “Unfortunately after speaking with my team and doctors I have made the decision to pull out of the Australian Open singles,” Kokkinakis wrote on X. He is still expected to play doubles with Nick Kyrgios. First-round matches for Aussie men: No. 6 Alex de Minaur vs. Matteo Berrettini Alexei Popyrin vs. Alexandre Muller Adam Walton vs. No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz Aleksandar Vukic vs. Thiago Augstin Tirante Tristan Schoolkate vs. No. 32 Corentin Moutet No. 29 Frances Tiafoe vs. Jason Kubler [WC] James Duckworth vs. Dino Prizmic [WC] Jordan Thompson vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo [WC] Christopher O’Connell vs. Nishesh Basavareddy [WC] Rinky Hijikata vs. Adrian Mannarino First-round matches for Aussie women No. 30 Maya Joint vs. Tereza Valentova Daria Kasatkina vs. Nikola Bartunkova Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva Kim Birrell vs. Maddison Inglis [WC] Priscilla Hon vs. Marina Stakusic