For the casual tennis fan, ‘qualifier’ might best be associated with Emma Raducanu, since the Briton became the first one to win a Grand Slam title three years ago at the US Open.
QUALIFYING: Australian Open 2024 men’s and women’s draws and results
At the Australian Open months prior, Aslan Karatsev became the first men’s qualifier – qualifying was held in Doha a few weeks before AO 2021 – in 21 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
Those occurrences are indeed few and far between.
But with matches under their belt and having had the chance to acclimatise to the courts, balls and weather – though that can change in a heartbeat in Melbourne – it is no wonder qualifiers can often be dangerous in the early rounds.
That familiarity combined with perhaps more pressure on a much-higher ranked opponent – and one who has not played a match – can level the playing field.
“I would say I didn't have too much pressure,” India’s Sumit Nagal said having upset 31st seed Alexander Bublik on Tuesday.
“He's the seed. I'm the underdog. Just qualified playing my second Australian Open in the main draw. I didn't feel any pressure.”
Australian Open 2024 has proved to be fruitful for Nagal’s fellow qualifiers.
Eight men made the second round, one shy of the tournament record last achieved in 2009, while six advanced in the women’s draw for the second consecutive season.
That does not include Hugo Gaston, the French drop-shot artist who passed the first hurdle as a lucky loser.
The first-round winners ranged in ranking in the women’s draw from 93 (Dayana Yastremska) to 190 (Anastasia Zakharova) and in the men’s draw from 100 (Flavio Cobolli) to 178 (Hugo Grenier), not including Gaston.
Marketa Vondrousova struggled due to injury but the Wimbledon champion credited Yastremska after the latter’s straight-set win in the first round.
A high-profile men’s match featured a qualifier that lost but tested one of the game’s greats – Novak Djokovic needed four hours to overcome Dino Prizmic in the Serb’s longest first-round tussle at a major (by time) since the 2010 US Open.
Djokovic was once a qualifier
Qualifiers are usually a mixture of players making their way up the ranks – the younger guard, but they can be any age – those who have slid down the rankings due to injury and a large chunk whose career ranking might never land inside the benchmark top 100.
“It's not so easy to play against the qualifying players,” said 18-year-old Jakub Mensik. “I know these guys on [the] Challenger tour.
“On the Challenger tour it's very tough to win three matches in a row. And now you have to do it in the qualies and the players are the same,” added the Czech, now two-for-two in Grand Slam qualifying, referring to the second rung of the pro ladder.
A spot in the top 100 at the ranking cutoff almost always guarantees a main-draw berth.
Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, combatants in Grand Slam finals, went head-to-head in Australian Open qualifying as teenagers in 2005.
Djokovic won, then won again to reach his first Grand Slam main draw.
Like the 18-year-old Prizmic in his Slam debut, Djokovic drew a Grand Slam winner in Marat Safin. Connecting the dots, Safin would hoist the trophy two weeks later after saving a match point against Roger Federer in the semifinals.
The most accomplished player in the qualifying draw this year? Perhaps David Goffin.
A quarterfinalist at three of the four majors and former top-10 regular, the Belgian’s knee issues contributed heavily to a dip.
Goffin made it through, though exited in his opener to Ugo Humbert.
His splash came in 2012 via qualifying, when Goffin benefited from a lucky loser slot at Roland-Garros and ventured to the fourth round, facing Federer, his idol.
Storm Hunter, the current world No.1 in doubles, lost at home in Australian Open qualifying in all five of her previous attempts. This time the native of Rockhampton – the birthplace of Rod Laver – succeeded.
The left-hander carried over the momentum into the main draw, ousting former Roland-Garros finalist Sara Errani.
“It feels amazing to get through qualifying,” said Hunter, who began by defeating a player renowned for taking out Grand Slam big names, Kaia Kanepi. “I played three tough matches there.
“To come through qualies, I think it just really made me feel that I belong and believed.”
A pair of 16-year-olds, Brenda Fruhvirtova and Alina Korneeva, navigated through qualifying before becoming the first pair of players their age to make the second round at a Grand Slam since 2007 Wimbledon.
Jesper de Jong fell in Grand Slam qualifying in all seven of his prior tries, finally breaking through in Melbourne.
In the final round of qualifying, Camilo Ugo Carabelli had the opportunity to serve the match out against the 161st-ranked Dutchman – but was broken.
De Jong bettered another Argentine in the main draw, Pedro Cachin, to set up a second-round clash with Jannik Sinner.
The wildest tilt in Melbourne this year might well end up being Renata Zarazua’s match with Jule Niemeier.
In the second round of qualifying, Zarazua led 5-0 and 40-15 on the German’s serve in the third set, only to see the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist win six straight games for a 6-5 advantage.
The 26-year-old Mexican broke to send the affair to a match tiebreak, prevailing on a sixth match point and then completing her qualifying adventure by beating Australia’s Destanee Aiava.
Silver linings
Some never make it past Grand Slam qualifying or get to the main draw only once, understandably their version of winning a major title.
With first-round losers pocketing $120,000 AUD, a spot in the main draw can be a game changer financially.
Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva told the WTA she slept on a friend’s sofa during US Open qualifying last year.
MORE: Australian Open prize money hits record high with $10 million increase in 2024
She successfully qualified for AO 2024 to make her Grand Slam debut – meeting three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.
Nagal, who underwent hip surgery in 2021, is guaranteed a cheque of $180,000 even if he loses in the second round against Chinese teen Jerry Shang.
The 26-year-old said he was down to his final €900 ($1,484) last year.
“I was pretty proud of myself to be able to give myself another chance to be here, to qualify, to play second round on Thursday,” said Nagal, who could be as quick around the court as his near namesake Rafael Nadal. “It’s a good feeling.”