Dan Evans, one of four British tennis players, missed the Australian Open main draw for the second consecutive year, losing in the first round of qualifying in Melbourne. The 35-year-old struggled with his serve, recording four double faults and no break points in a 66-minute defeat to Japan's Rei Sakamoto. This follows Evans' sole Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon last year, where he received a main draw wildcard. Other British players, including Jay Clarke and Jack Pinnington Jones, also fell in the first round, while Oliver Crawford lost to Spain's Daniel Merida Aguilar. However, Arthur Fery and George Loffhagen recorded positive results, with Fery beating Australia's Edward Winter and Loffhagen overcoming Germany's Justin Engel. Players must progress through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, which begins on January 18th. The Australian Open 2026 will take place from January 18th to February 1st at Melbourne Park, with live radio and text commentaries available on BBC platforms. Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley are already in the men's main draw, while Emma Raducanu, Francesca Jones, and Sonay Kartal will feature in the women's. Katie Boulter, currently ranked 113th in the world, secured a main draw spot after high-profile withdrawals. The 29-year-old will play in the Australian Open for a third consecutive year. In other news, Taylor Townsend and Sloane Stephens reached the second round of qualifying, with Townsend overcoming Japan's Nao Hibino and Stephens claiming her first win since Wimbledon 2024. Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie, who grew up in Auckland, continued his preparations with a victory over Hugo Gaston at the Auckland Classic, setting up a last-16 tie against either Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut or France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
