Former British number one Katie Boulter has failed to secure a direct place in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Only 104 players were given automatic entry, and with Boulter currently ranked 106 in the world, she narrowly missed the cut. As a result, the 29-year-old will now have to go through the qualifying rounds at Melbourne Park in January if she wants to play in the first Grand Slam of 2026.
Boulter chose not to compete in a recent tournament in France after picking up a hip injury in Hong Kong in October. She had the chance to earn extra ranking points there but decided to prioritise her health.
She previously told BBC Sport that she had to “choose between her body and her ranking”, admitting it was hard to watch other players move ahead while she rested.
Boulter has won 14 main-draw matches on the tour this year and recently split from her long-time coach after three years together, during which she won three WTA titles.
Other British players, including Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Francesca Jones, Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley, all received direct entry into the main draw.
The tournament changed how it selected players this year to stop athletes from chasing ranking points during the off-season and to encourage better recovery time.
Boulter will now need to win her qualifying matches if she wants to reach the Australian Open main draw for the sixth time in her career.
