IS THE STATE OF AUSSIE WOMEN'S TENNIS ITS MOST PROMISING SINCE ASH?

Team Australia unite in a team huddle during their BJK Cup qualifier in Brisbane. (Getty/Andy Cheung)

Last month, Australia suffered a disappointing early elimination from the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup, finishing second in Group D ahead of Colombia but behind Kazakhstan. As a result, Australia will not be participating in the BJK Cup Finals for the first time since 2018, seemingly a culmination of several years in which Australia has lacked representation at the highest level of women’s tennis. 

Last year, the highest-ranked Australian woman at the end of the season was Olivia Gadecki, finishing just inside the top 100 at No.97. In 2023, Arina Rodionova carried the mantle, ending the season ranked 114th.

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Such a striking absence of top-level representation has been an unusual experience for many Aussie tennis fans, especially considering the almost unprecedented depth of Aussie men’s tennis over the past few seasons.

Where, then, are the reasons for optimism on the women’s side? 2025 has given plenty of good answers to that question.

A new face leading the way

The most high-profile Australian tennis news of recent months came in the shape of Daria Kasatkina’s successful application for permanent residency in Australia.

As such, the world No.14 has become Australia’s highest-ranked player since Ash Barty.

Kasatkina has been ranked as high as No.8 and provides some much-needed Australian representation near the pinnacle of the women’s game.

A player who is a legitimate chance at making a deep run at any big event is a real boon for the Aussie game, even if Kasatkina will have to wait almost an entire year to get her first chance to play an Aussie summer in front of her new home fans.

Familiar names on the comeback trail

Several names more recognisable in Australian tennis circles have also been quietly putting together strings of matches as they return from long-term injuries.

Ajla Tomljanović has faced more than her fair share of injury troubles in recent years (and throughout her career), most recently seeking to overcome a recurrent knee issue. However, the 31-year-old is back inside the top-80 in the rankings and looks to be putting together a more sustainable and consistent season thus far, with seven wins to her name.

Daria Saville has been similarly beleaguered by injuries in recent years, but a solid 2025 has her on the cusp of a return to the top-100. A semi-final in Mérida made the biggest impact, plus several tight losses in big matches suggest Saville is close to reaching an even higher level than her current results suggest.

Storm Hunter, too, is on the comeback trail, playing some doubles events in recent months as she regains match fitness following a ruptured Achilles tendon. The former doubles No.1 in brings plenty to the Aussie women’s tennis scene, both on and off the court, so she is a welcome addition back on Tour.

Each returnee adds further to the growing depth of Aussie women’s tennis at the biggest events on the calendar.

The newer crop

Perhaps most exciting of all for Aussie tennis fans are some of the less established stars who have had the best seasons of their career thus far. 

Kimberly Birrell is currently the second-highest ranked Australian woman at No.61, a career-high ranking. Wins at Indian Wells and Miami to go alongside her quarter-final run in Brisbane at the start of the year have seen the 27-year-old quickly develop a reputation as a dangerous draw at many big events.

Maya Joint is also at a career-high ranking, posting a 20-10 record so far this season as she builds the resume of a seriously talented teen.

Still aged only 19, Joint looks set to be one of the leading lights in Aussie tennis over the next decade.

Gadecki is Australia’s fifth representative currently inside the top-100. 

Although the 22-year-old’s 2025 has not exactly gone to plan thus far, Gadecki showed at the end of last season how good she could be heading into the future.

Further down the rankings, the likes of Talia Gibson and Taylah Preston are showing real promise, alongside the prodigiously talented Emerson Jones. 

Combining a raft of young stars, both emerging and yet to emerge, with a solid core of experienced tour-level players, plus a representative who can be expected to take a top-16 seeding at most Grand Slams, provides Australia with a formula for a highly competitive and sustainable group of WTA players.

Whilst the Aussie women’s tennis landscape has appeared sorely lacking in top talent since Barty’s retirement, most signs seem to be pointing towards an exciting future on the horizon.

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