British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

wolf · Tennis legend

Week 43 - ITF W35 Brisbane, Australia - Hard

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:
I think it was just Sydney and Perth?

Apparently they used Brisbane in 2023, but its now just Perth and Sydney.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Cup

Andy Parker · Club Coach

Brendan F wrote:
wolf wrote:
JonH comes home wrote:
foobarbaz wrote:
Peter too wrote:
It must be strange playing there, a massive stadium, hundreds of seats - all empty on a Saturday at I think midday. I have never seen anything like it.
Perhaps the tournament organisers / ITF have tried to spend on advertising in previous years, and found it doesn't bring in the crowds?
Presumably they use the same venue as the Hopman Cup played in?

That's in Perth a 45 hour drive from this event. They are playing at the Week 1 WTA 500 / ATP 250 venue with some matches taking place on Pat Rafter Arena (permanent capacity 5500).
45 hours is a very precise calculation. Have you driven it?

-- Edited by Brendan F on Saturday 25th of October 2025 08:54:25 PM

I can't resist replying as we did a road trip in the summer that started from Adelaide to Perth - three days of about 30 hour driving from Adelaide to Nullabor Roadhouse (10 hours), then Norseman (another 10 hours) and Perth about 10 on from that, though we did take the long way on the last bit. Adelaide to Brisbane is about 18-20 hours, so yeah 45 hours is a very accurate estimation of the time it takes, if you drive really fast in the Outback, as you can just about drive Adelaide to Sydney in a day and Brisbane is another long day trip up from that - all of which I've driven on different road trips.

We then went up the west coast and north coast and then south to Alice Springs - so nearly 9,000 miles on our last road trip - Australia is so huge and diverse, and sometimes I think folk don't always realise that a tournament in the tropical heat of Darwin is a world away in terms of heat, humidity and climate from say Melbourne and Adelaide in South Australia.

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 25th of October 2025 10:54:26 PM

-- Edited by Andy Parker on Saturday 25th of October 2025 11:00:39 PM

Andy Parker · Club Coach

Looking forward to Katie's match tonight a lot - the bookies are making this a close one to call, which suggests her opponent must be pretty decent, and better than her ranking suggests.

I wonder whether it is too late for Katie to get a high enough ranking for an Aussie qualifying slot - not sure how many tournaments she will have left to play before the cut off date. It has been a great few months for her anyhow - I'm sure everyone on here knows that she only had one ranking point (from one tournament) in January, so it has been a great comeback to keep picking up so many points in these 35k tournaments - lots of hungry young players to beat, and I think she has done really well to keep her focus and find such consistent form.

Last night's match was so hard fought and Taylah Preston is a very good player herself, so to beat her in Australia must have been very sweet for Katie.

indiana · Tennis legend

It remains a big ask for Katie, but the points are certainly there in this and the following 4 Australian events to theoretically make Aus Open Q with plenty to spare. But it needs continuing big performances, probably improving performances as the events ramp up.

She is up to 201 points by reaching the final here. If she wins it she goes to 213 points.

Aus Open Q cut-off probably won't be a million miles away from say 320 points - ie a further 107 points on from where she'd be with a title win here.

We then have in Australia:
From 27/10: Brisbane W35
From 10/11: Brisbane W50
From 17/11: Sydney W75
From 24/11: Playford W75

So 4 tournaments ( the first 2 which Katie is entered for and the other 2 which she quite probably will be entered for ) with maximum total points of 235 points, all concluding well before the Aus Open Q ranking cut-off date ( 22/12/25 ). I wonder where else she could go in the further 3 weeks

235 is a lot more than 107 so possible? - clearly yes. How likely? - in the eye of the beholder. Even RUs and SFs are fairly big drop offs from the maximum with SFs less than half the points. And I can see an argument that 'just' SFs in the W50 and W75s would be going some.

I know some folk have been more of the view that it is just great to see her back and continue to build towards 2026. Myself and I saw emmsie were two saying more than a month ago why not have Aus Open Q as a possible goal. Since then we have had good performances, wins and points, we've also had Darwin heat issues. But it still remains that time is moving on, so without jeopardising her ongoing recovery, iff she is fit and well enough, then just why not at least have it in her thoughts ...

B00thy · County player

I think that she's sensible and latterly well-advised enough to continue to concentrate on the important goal she mentioned several months ago, which is to play tennis whilst not compromising her health until she is confident enough about her health not being damaged by tennis, such that she can introduce tennis achievement goals.

She may have reached the point now, although after the heat illness, I'm not so sure.

But I'm looking forward to seeing her playing a higher level of opponent

Andy Parker · Club Coach

indiana wrote:
It remains a big ask for Katie, but the points are certainly there in this and the following 4 Australian events to theoretically make Aus Open Q with plenty to spare. But it needs continuing big performances, probably improving performances as the events ramp up.

She is up to 201 points by reaching the final here. If she wins it she goes to 213 points.

Aus Open Q cut-off probably won't be a million miles away from say 320 points - ie a further 107 points on from where she'd be with a title win here.

We then have in Australia:
From 27/10: Brisbane W35
From 10/11: Brisbane W50
From 17/11: Sydney W75
From 24/11: Playford W75

So 4 tournaments ( the first 2 which Katie is entered for and the other 2 which she quite probably will be entered for ) with maximum total points of 235 points, all concluding well before the Aus Open Q ranking cut-off date ( 22/12/25 ). I wonder where else she could go in the further 3 weeks

235 is a lot more than 107 so possible? - clearly yes. How likely? - in the eye of the beholder. Even RUs and SFs are fairly big drop offs from the maximum with SFs less than half the points. And I can see an argument that 'just' SFs in the W50 and W75s would be going some.

I know some folk have been more of the view that it is just great to see her back and continue to build towards 2026. Myself and I saw emmsie were two saying more than a month ago why not have Aus Open Q as a possible goal. Since then we have had good performances, wins and points, we've also had Darwin heat issues. But it still remains that time is moving on, so without jeopardising her ongoing recovery, iff she is fit and well enough, then just why not at least have it in her thoughts ...

Much appreciated to see those updates and it puts into perspective exactly where she is at and what she needs to get to reach qualifying for the Aussie Open. Thanks for all that info on likely tournaments for her coming up. She is definitely entered at the next Brisbane, with her and Taylah Preston the favourites, I think.

I hear everyone's wise comments about tennis and health, both physical and mental, but she has had such a successful comeback season that hopefully she is feeling much better about herself and those wins must have boosted her confidence.

It does look a tough ask to get those points, but if she could win here, then I think that takes her to 213 points and a Brisbane double would make it 248, which looking at the field could be achievable. After that, still a very big ask, I guess.

I have noticed that tonight's expected 2.30 am start won't be happening, as Katie's match follows a men's one - not good news as far as I am concerned.

Babfive · Satellite level

Katie won the first set 6-2 and has just broken serve in the first game of the second.

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

Babfive wrote:
Katie won the first set 6-2 and has just broken serve in the first game of the second.

I'm here too :)

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

I don't believe for 1 second that a player of Katie's ability doesn't have a GS qualifying spot on top of her list of goals to start 2026. That doesn't mean that she will compromise her long term health as proven with her withdrawal from Perth and not travelling to China for the 125k but this run of tournaments has definitely been planned with AO qualifying in mind.

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

Katie was cruising at 4-1 in the 2nd set, back to 4-4, not sure what happened as I was dipping in and out (more out at 4-1)

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

6-7 into a 3rd.

Massive thunderstorm but the court is covered.

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Sunday 26th of October 2025 06:37:41 AM

Now suspended which may help Katie as she was broken at the start of the 3rd set

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Sunday 26th of October 2025 06:38:18 AM

Andy Parker · Club Coach

I fell asleep and missed this one - still very much in the balance - the thunderstorm sounded fortuitous. Brisbane gets so much rain (more than most of the UK) - hopefully they will complete somehow.

paulisi · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
It remains a big ask for Katie, but the points are certainly there in this and the following 4 Australian events to theoretically make Aus Open Q with plenty to spare. But it needs continuing big performances, probably improving performances as the events ramp up.

She is up to 201 points by reaching the final here. If she wins it she goes to 213 points.

Aus Open Q cut-off probably won't be a million miles away from say 320 points - ie a further 107 points on from where she'd be with a title win here.

We then have in Australia:
From 27/10: Brisbane W35
From 10/11: Brisbane W50
From 17/11: Sydney W75
From 24/11: Playford W75

So 4 tournaments ( the first 2 which Katie is entered for and the other 2 which she quite probably will be entered for ) with maximum total points of 235 points, all concluding well before the Aus Open Q ranking cut-off date ( 22/12/25 ). I wonder where else she could go in the further 3 weeks

235 is a lot more than 107 so possible? - clearly yes. How likely? - in the eye of the beholder. Even RUs and SFs are fairly big drop offs from the maximum with SFs less than half the points. And I can see an argument that 'just' SFs in the W50 and W75s would be going some.

I know some folk have been more of the view that it is just great to see her back and continue to build towards 2026. Myself and I saw emmsie were two saying more than a month ago why not have Aus Open Q as a possible goal. Since then we have had good performances, wins and points, we've also had Darwin heat issues. But it still remains that time is moving on, so without jeopardising her ongoing recovery, iff she is fit and well enough, then just why not at least have it in her thoughts ...

I know they mentioned 220 ranking on comms, but in my head it is 250 as last direct entry, which is 300pts. There are loads of injuries, people who won't travel or people who have retired, plus wildcards.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Is there a list of grand slam entry cut offs anywhere that people know of, or have kept themselves? Ive tried googling but info is scant as far as I can tell. Its gone down in recent years as more players use PR to get in. Historically I always had in mind 104 for main draw and 225 for qualies as the start point and then maybe falling a few slots with injuries and no shows to around 108 and 235 typically but that isnt anything than in my head.

If anyone has any actual mens and womens records or list for the past few years, it would be interesting to see. Or a link! Thank you