Andorra's Vicky Jiménez Arrives in Melbourne for Australian Open Qualifiers
World No.
Key Points
- Jiménez (world No. 115) lost first round in Brisbane to Zeynep Sönmez, who also beat her in December.
- Seeded in 234-player AO qualifiers; must win 3 matches for main draw spot.
- Bypasses seeds in first two rounds; possible foes include top-130 outsiders, youngsters, veterans.
- Starts training in Melbourne tomorrow to adapt and build consistency.
Vicky Jiménez, Andorra's top-ranked tennis player at world number 115, has arrived in Melbourne to prepare for the Australian Open qualifying rounds, which begin on 18 January.
The 22-year-old comes off a first-round defeat at the WTA 500 event in Brisbane to Turkey's Zeynep Sönmez, who had previously beaten her in December at Angers. Jiménez is now focusing entirely on the preliminary phase of the season's first Grand Slam, where she aims to secure a main draw spot for the second time in her career—following her US Open entry last August, where she lost her opener to Australia's Maya Joint.
A total of 234 players have entered the qualifying draw, competing for 16 places in the main tournament. To advance, competitors must win three straight matches ahead of the main event's start. As a seeded player in the qualifiers by virtue of her ranking, Jiménez will bypass other seeds in the first two rounds, facing at most one in a potential third-round decider.
Her possible opponents include players ranked outside the top 130, emerging young talents, or veterans with Grand Slam experience, in a stage where fine margins often prove decisive.
Already settled in Melbourne, Jiménez begins dedicated training tomorrow to adjust to local playing conditions. The Andorran seeks the consistency required to navigate the demanding qualifiers successfully.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: