Home-grown stars Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur to complete their Australian Open preparations in Sydney Tennis Classic

Ash Barty will play in Adelaide then Sydney before turning her attention to winning a so-far-elusive Australian Open title

Ash Barty hopes to add the Australian Open title to her Wimbledon championship. Picture: Getty Images

Australia’s top-ranked tennis stars Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur will finalise their Australian Open preparations in Sydney.

They are playing in the Sydney Tennis Classic from January 9-15 – the week before the Melbourne Park event – as they dream of ending Australia’s decades-long title drought at their home grand slam.

Nineteen of the world’s top-24 women are in Sydney’s WTA 500 field, including No.1 Barty, who is starting the year in a similarly strong Adelaide tournament, which begins on January 2.

Those looking to deny Barty include Garbine Muguruza, former world No.1s Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, Iga Swiatek, Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic and reigning US Open winner Emma Raducanu.

Barty, who shared her fourth Newcombe Medal with Dylan Alcott on Friday night, is a traditionally strong performer in the lead-in events to Melbourne Park.

No local has held aloft the Australian Open trophy since Chris O’Neil’s fairytale run in 1978 but dual grand slam champion Barty is a serious contender after winning Wimbledon in July.

World No.1 Ash Barty is the best local title chance at an Australian Open in many years. Picture: Getty Images

“The one that was always going to make me cry was Wimbledon – and it did,” Barty said.

“I’m very fortunate to be in a position where I was able to live out a childhood dream. But I tell you what – the Australian Open is not far below that for any Australian.

“I’m looking forward to going out there this year and trying to tick that off and do the best that I can to give myself a chance to win the Australian Open.”

Barty’s best result in Melbourne was her semi-final showing last year but she also made the quarter-finals twice either side of that result.

On the men’s side, de Minaur, who won a title in Sydney two years ago, will come up against four of the world’s top 20, including last year’s US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Cristian Garin, Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev and former top-10 players Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin and Kei Nishikori are also entered.