Quartet of winning Australians in qualifying boost Wimbledon main draw contingent to 17

There will be more Australians in the main draw at Wimbledon than in the past three decades after an amazing final day of qualifying.

The biggest Australian contingent in 30 years will contest Wimbledon after four more players came through qualifying to earn spots in the main draw, taking the total to 17.

Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson, lex Bolt and James McCabe all booked their spots, Hon and Gibson surviving match points, to join the mass of Australians in the field.

But 16-year-old rising star Emerson Jones failed at the final challenge as she sought to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw.

Queenslander Hon was down 6-5, and then 0-40, in her clash with Canada’s Victoria Mboko before mounting a stunning comeback to win. .

“Honestly, right now I’m pretty lost for words, especially when I didn’t think I was going to win the match,” Hon explained.

“I definitely feel like I’ve gotten better in these situations and obviously played quite a few now and I’ve got the experience.”

7th attempt at #Wimbledon qualifying.
3rd time in the final round.
Down 5 match points.
This was more than just a win.

See you at the All England Club for your main draw debut, @pribo98 👏 pic.twitter.com/W2IRSNUcwn

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) June 26, 2025

Hon saved five match points in her victory.

“Apparently, I was down five match points, but I only remember three of them. I was just trying to think point by point and somehow, I got the win,” she said.

“I served really well in that game (at 6-5) to come back, and that’s what got me through.”

Gibson also saved a match point at 5-3 in the third set before winning the next four games to progress to her first Wimbledon main draw.

“I’m still a little bit in shock but just incredibly, incredibly happy with my performance today and just to get through qualifying for the first time in a slam is a good feeling,” she said.

“I was really trying to visualise and put myself in the position to feel like this is something I could do this year. I’m lost for words and just incredibly happy that I could actually do it.”

A dream come true💚💛

James McCabe and Talia Gibson have qualified for the #Wimbledon main draw for the first time in their careers. pic.twitter.com/dt8gzSLuLz

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) June 26, 2025

McCabe qualified for the Wimbledon main draw on his first try by taking down the No.5 seed Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera in four sets

“Before these last two weeks, I think I’d lost 11 tiebreaks in a row – so now it’s going the right direction and I’m just glad it’s coming together now,” McCabe said.

“It was just an absolute unreal experience.”

As the Aussies triumphed at Wimbledon, 19-year-old Maya Joint also reached the semi-finals of the Eastbourne event with a straight-sets quarter-final win over Russian Anna Blinkova.

It’s Joint’s third semi of her rookie season, all on different surfaces and now including grass ahead of Wimbledon beginning next week.

Originally published as Quartet of winning Australians in qualifying boost Wimbledon main draw contingent to 17