Zhang Shuai and Kasidit Samrej have secured their spot in the main draw of Australian Open 2025 after winning the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off in Chengdu, China.
Chinese star Zhang Shuai has continued her late-season resurgence, earning a wildcard into the main draw of Australian Open 2025.
Zhang booked her trip to Melbourne Park on Saturday by winning the women’s singles event at the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off in Chengdu, China.
She beat countrywoman Guo Hanyu in a three-set thriller, celebrating passionately when she clinched a 7-6(2) 0-6 7-5 win in two hours and 15 minutes.
Following that match was the men’s singles final, pitting Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej against Rio Noguchi of Japan.
Samrej, currently ranked 414th, prevailed 6-4 4-6 6-1 and will be the first Thai man to compete in a Grand Slam main draw since Danai Udomchoke at Australian Open 2012.
Zhang fell as low as world No.768 in February this year in the midst of a dispiriting 24-match losing streak. But she had completely turned her season around – and her victory in Chengdu is the latest proof of a form upswing.
The 35-year-old snapped that losing streak on home soil at Beijing’s China Open, a WTA 1000 tournament where she ultimately went on to reach the quarterfinals.
That result meant she more than halved her ranking – she vaulted to world No.250 – and she has since improved that to No.211 after winning rounds in Guangzhou and Takasaki.
Zhang, an Australian Open 2019 doubles champion alongside Sam Stosur, has now won 10 of her past 16 singles matches.
She’ll play in the singles main draw at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2023, the year she advanced to the last 16. Her best Australian Open singles result was a quarterfinal in 2016.
Unlike Zhang, a former world No.22, Samrej is yet to crack the top 400 and has never competed at a Grand Slam venue – not even in qualifying.
But like Zhang, he has improved his ranking from a much lower position and is trending in the right direction as Australian Open 2025 approaches.
The 23-year-old, ranked outside the top 750 in July, has risen more than 300 places after winning 31 matches in the past five months.
With four more wins thanks to his wildcard play-off victory in Chengdu, Samrej has won 35 of his past 46 matches.
During this purple patch Samrej has reached four ITF finals on home soil – winning three – and has since translated that success to the ATP Challenger circuit, where his best result was a quarterfinal in Seoul last month.
Zhang and Samrej have earned the first of eight wildcards available in both the women’s and men’s singles draws at Australian Open 2025.
The AO 2025 main-draw entry lists will be released later this week.