Australian tennis star Maddison Inglis has described her incredible opportunity to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open as "unbelievable" after former world number one Naomi Osaka withdrew from their scheduled third round clash. The Perth native is set to pocket a mammoth $480,000 even if she loses her next match, a sum she calls "life-changing".
A Dream Come True on the Grand Slam Stage
"The points, the money, the experience, the fans, the courts that I’m getting to play on is honestly unbelievable, it’s like a dream," Inglis told Nine's WWOS. She expressed astonishment at the financial rewards, noting that "when I saw that first round qualies was $40,000, I thought wow! That’s amazing! It’s unbelievable." The 28-year-old Aussie was training on court alongside Osaka and didn't notice anything unusual, so she was shocked to hear the two-time Australian Open champion had pulled out.
From Qualifying Brink to Round of 16
Inglis reflected on how close she came to exiting the tournament early, stating "I definitely could have been out of here 10 days ago so tennis is pretty crazy like that and it’s also exciting." Ranked as low as 514 in the world less than six months ago, she has skyrocketed to 168 after qualifying for the Australian Open and is projected to climb to at least 113 after the tournament. This surge places her in a stronger position to qualify for other grand slams this year.
Historic Achievement and Upcoming Challenge
Inglis is the first Australian woman to advance to the round of 16 since Ash Barty achieved the feat during her title-winning year in 2022. However, the challenge doesn't get any easier, with another huge task against former world number one Iga Swiatek awaiting her on Monday. "I’ll get out there tomorrow, have a good practice and do everything I can to take it up to Iga on Monday. It’ll be really fun," she said. Swiatek, the second seed, is chasing the only grand slam that has eluded her so far.
Family Success on the Doubles Court
In a delightful twist, Inglis' partner Jason Kubler replaced her on Rod Laver Arena as his doubles match with Marc Polmans was moved to the main court. The recently engaged pair continued their good news streak, with Kubler and Polmans coming back from a set down to defeat Marcus Willis and Jakub Paul 5-7 7-5 6-4. After beating Aussie duo Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round, they will now face compatriots Li Tu and James McCabe in another all-Australian doubles affair on Monday.
