Tennis legend John Fitzgerald joined Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in China to announce the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off will return to Chengdu this year.
The annual tournament sees top players from the Asia-Pacific region compete for a coveted Australian Open main draw wildcard.
“As the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific, we are thrilled to bring the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off back to Chengdu,” Fitzgerald said.
“This tournament is a launchpad for the region’s rising stars, offering a direct pathway to the Australian Open main draw and a chance to shine on the world stage.
“China is now the fastest-growing tennis market globally, and the depth of talent across Asia-Pacific is extraordinary. Each year we see more players breaking through, and none more inspiring than Zheng Qinwen – last year’s AO finalist – who followed in the footsteps of her idol Li Na, crowned champion a decade earlier."
At last year’s Play-off, Zhang Shuai and Kasidit Samrej won their places in the main draw of Australian Open 2025.
Winning the tournament capped off Chinese star Zhang's late-season resurgence.
She fell as low as world No.768 in February 2024 amid a 24-match losing streak before turning her season around on home soil at Beijing’s China Open, a WTA 1000 tournament where she ultimately went on to reach the quarterfinal, followed up by her victory in Chengdu.
At Australian Open 2025, Zhang defeated American rising star McCartney Kessler in the opening round before going down to No.24 seed Yulia Putintseva.
She has continued to improve her position and is now ranked No.120 in singles and 15th in doubles.
Unlike Zhang, who has been ranked as high as No.22, Samrej had never competed at a Grand Slam venue – not even in qualifying – before earning a wildcard to this year’s AO.
Faced with a tough round one matchup in Daniil Medvedev, Samrej fought valiantly, extending the No.5 seed to five sets.
“The Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off has a proud legacy, first held in Nanjing in 2012, and it’s only grown in stature since,” Fitzgerald said.
"It’s unearthed some incredible stories – such as Denis Istomin, who earned his wildcard and went on to stun Novak Djokovic in the second round of AO 2017, and Wang Xinyu, who won the Play-off in 2017 and is now firmly inside the world’s top 50.
“These are the moments that define careers and inspire the next generation. The Play-off is not just a tournament, it’s a proving ground for the region’s best, and a celebration of the Australian Open’s deep connection with the Asia Pacific.”
The Play-off, scheduled for 24-29 November 2025, comprises 16-player men’s and women’s singles events – plus eight-player men’s and women’s qualifying draws – and 12-team men’s and women’s doubles events.
It will be held at Sichuan International Tennis Centre.
The magnificent Australian Open trophies, the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, are in Chengdu this week for the announcement.
Luzhou Laojiao (Official Baijiu Partner of the Australian Open) is an official partner of Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off.