Alex Bolt has emerged as an early frontrunner for an Australian Open 2026 main-draw singles wildcard after winning his fourth ATP Challenger title in Brisbane over the weekend.
The 32-year-old defeated fellow Australians Marc Polmans, James Duckworth and Dane Sweeney before overcoming Chinese Taipei qualifier Tung-Lin Wu 6-3 6-3 in the ATP 75 final.
Australian men and women who accumulate the most wildcard points across three events in Brisbane, Sydney and Playford will guarantee a spot in Melbourne, replacing the previous AO Wildcard play-off format.
READ MORE: How the AO 2026 Pro Tour wildcard works
Bolt sits on 75 wildcard points, 53 ahead of Dane Sweeney (22), as the race moves to Sydney for the next Challenger event. Tied for third on 12 points are James Duckworth, Bernard Tomic and Jake Delany.
Joining Bolt in the winner’s circle was his partner, Great Britain’s Katie Swan, who claimed the W50 title with a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over China’s Sijia Wei. The triumph marked Swan’s 16th career ITF title.
Two Australian women remain in contention for the Pro Tour’s coveted AO 2026 main-draw singles wildcard following strong performances in Brisbane. Seventeen-year-old Emerson Jones reached the semifinals before losing to Swan 2-6 6-2 3-6, while 20-year-old Taylah Preston, coming off a W35 title in early November, fell to Wei in the other semifinal.
Both players head to Sydney Olympic Park tied on 20 wildcard points each. Sitting in second place with 11 points is 25-year-old Destanee Aiava, followed by Maddison Inglis on six points.
Aiava and Inglis teamed up to win an all-Australian doubles final, outlasting Gabriella Da Silva Fick and Tenika McGiffin 7-6(3) 7-6(7), and securing Aiava’s second doubles title of the year.
In the 16-team men’s doubles event, Australians Matt Hulme and Kody Pearson upset No.2 seeds Anirudh Chandrasekar and Reese Stalder in a thrilling 7-6(5) 3-6 10-6 final.
The Australian Pro Tour is a series of professional tennis events supporting local and international players as they transition onto the ATP and WTA Tours. It spans all eight of the country’s states and territories, offering USD $1.48m annually in prize money and delivering more than $30m in economic benefit to host cities and towns.
The second stage of the Australian Pro Tour begins this week in Sydney.
Watch the Australian Pro Tour and Junior Nationals as well as all 2025 WTA 1000, 500, 250 and Finals on beIN SPORTS.
