Australian Open Qualifiers Set: Tomic, Errani Among Those Reaching Main Draw

In a historic Australian Open qualifying competition held overseas, 32 players advanced to next month’s main draw and the $100,000 (AUS) first round prize money that comes with it.

The men’s event concluded today in Doha with Australian bad boy Bernard Tomic making the long trip and it paid off. Now 28 and ranked No. 228, Tomic won his last two round in final set super breakers, beating countryman Jan-Patrick Smith today 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(10-7).

“I’m very tired, more tired than happy to be honest. I’ve never been this tired, and I’ve played a lot of tennis,” he told the AAP. “I’m not over-excited but it is a good thing, it is nice, but I’m physically pretty bad.

“JP’s playing well, and had nothing to lose. I was physically so bad, I wasn’t able to execute my shots.”

Tomic, the former ATP No. 17, was the only Australian of the 20 men and women to get through the qualifying.

Also among the men’s qualifiers, Serb veteran Viktor Troicki made it in as did 17-year-old Spaniard phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

In the women’s draw held in Dubai, former French final Sara Errani qualified along with Timea Babos, top seed Kaja Juvan, 30-year-old Rebecca Marino who returned to a Slam for the first time since 2013 and Brit Francesca Jones who earned her first Slam main draw.

The 20-year-old Jones was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, and three toes on her right foot.

What. A. Story.

20-year-old Francesca Jones has qualified for the @AustralianOpen main draw after being told by doctors that she wouldn't be able to play tennis 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dXHOFZopTV

— ITF (@ITFTennis) January 13, 2021

The Australian Open main draw begins next month on February 8 with the main draw released on February 4.

Players are expected to leave in the next few days from three different locations on chartered jets for Melbourne. A select number of “Lucky losers” from the final round of qualifying will also make the trip.

MEN’S QUALIFIERS
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR)
Michael Mmoh (USA)
Viktor Troicki (SRB)
Roman Safiullin (RUS)
Mario Vilella Martinez (ESP)
Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
Elias Ymer (SWE)
Maxime Cressy (USA)
Kimmer Coppejans (BEL)
Tomas Machac (CZE)
Aslan Karatsev (RUS)
Botic Van de Zandschulp (NED)
Quentin Halys (FRA)
Bernard Tomic (AUS)
Frederico Ferreira Silva (POR)

WOMEN’S QUALIFIERS
Greet Minnen (BEL)
Chloe Paquet (FRA)
Whitney Osuigwe (USA)
Timea Babos (HUN)
Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA)
Mayo Hibi (JPN)
Kaja Juvan (SLO)
Sara Errani (ITA)
Valeria Savinykh (RUS)
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)
Francesca Jones (GBR)
Clara Burel (FRA)
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS)
Rebecca Marino (CAN)
Olga Danilovic (SRB)
Mayar Sherif (EGY)

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