ATP Tour

Who qualified for the 2026 Australian Open?

A wave of rising talent secured places in the Australian Open main draw on Thursday, winning their final-round qualifying matches at Melbourne Park.

Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, American Nishesh Basavareddy and Spain’s Rafael Jodar — all of whom competed at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF — successfully navigated qualifying. They were joined by 19-year-old Rei Sakamoto, the 2024 Australian Open boys’ champion.

Budkov Kjaer, who describes fellow Norwegian Casper Ruud as a “big brother figure,” defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 6-3 to earn his maiden main-draw appearance at a Grand Slam. Last year, the Norwegian claimed a Tour-leading four ATP Challenger titles before reaching the semi-finals in Jeddah.

“We’re setting the bar good for the next generation,” said Budkov Kjaer, who will join Jeddah champion Learner Tien in the main draw. “I saw that four out of the eight that played Next Gen are through to the main draw. It’s great to see us youngsters doing big stuff on the biggest stages. We are maybe a bit more hungry than the older ones, but it’s great to see your friends doing well.”

Jodar will also make his Grand Slam main-draw debut after advancing through qualifying on his first attempt. The Spaniard, who turned professional in December following two years at the University of Virginia, defeated former Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Luca Van Assche 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 on Thursday.

View all of Thursday’s results from Melbourne Park here.

Sakamoto, who did not drop a set across his three qualifying matches, said: “In preseason, I made qualifying for the main draw a goal, so it feels good,” said Sakamoto. “I think the surface suits me pretty well. I like my serve to bounce higher and have an advantage with the serve, it makes it easier to build. I like the crowd and environment here, it makes me feel comfortable.”

Basavareddy, now working with Daniil Medvedev's former coach Gilles Cervara, will appear in a Grand Slam main draw for the third consecutive time. The 20-year-old showed resilience throughout qualifying, saving two match points to beat Sebastian Ofner in the second round before rallying past George Loffhagen 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.

Alexander Blockx, a finalist in Jeddah and winner of last week’s ATP Challenger in Canberra, entered the final qualifying round on a seven-match winning streak. However, the Belgian was forced to retire due to a back injury in the third set against Australia’s Jason Kubler.

Dane Sweeny was the only other Australian to advance through qualifying. The 24-year-old defeated Stefano Travaglia 7-6(6), 7-6(3) to reach the main draw of a major for the first time since the 2024 Australian Open.