Katie Boulter’s tennis season is well underway after the star received a wild card for the ASB Classic.
Boulter was knocked out of the ASB Classic by Elina Svitolina, but she did pick up a first round win against Yuliia Starodubtseva.
The British star used the tournament as preparation for her Australian Open qualifying campaign, after she fell outside of the top 100 thanks to a poor run of form at the end of 2025.
Boulter has now received a major boost and will no longer have to navigate the tricky prospect of qualifying.
Katie Boulter earns instant access into the Australian Open main draw
Boulter is ranked 113 in the world currently, but she has been able to sneak into the main draw without qualifying thanks to several high-profile withdrawals.
The likes of Qinwen Zheng and Veronika Kudermetova have already confirmed they would not play the first Grand Slam of the year.
What is stopping Katie Boulter from staying in the WTA top 20?
On the cusp of the qualifying stages beginning, Boulter was the first alternate for the main draw, meaning she needed just one player to withdraw.
Boulter’s wish has come true as Yafan Wang, who was set to enter under a protected ranking, has dropped out of the Grand Slam.
The withdrawal means Boulter will play the Australian Open main draw for the third year in a row, after reaching the second round in 2024 and 2025.
When is the Australian Open draw?
Boulter will now have a relaxing wait next week rather than battling it out in a very difficult qualification phase.
The British star will have her eyes on the Australian Open draw, which is set to take place three days before the tournament kicks off.
What is your bold prediction for the 2026 tennis season?
The draw will take place on Thursday 15 January at 2:30pm local time, which is 3:30am UK time, when the top players will learn their first round opponents.
The top 32 seeds will not play each other, meaning Boulter could have to line up against one of the very best on the WTA Tour.
Boulter’s previous first round opponents have been Canadian Rebecca Marino in 2025 and Chinese star Yuan Yue in 2024.
