It’s been a long time since Jason Kubler experienced the thrill of playing a singles match in front of a large crowd.
Kubler, who missed a significant portion of the 2024 season with a knee injury, was in great form in front of a large crowd at Kia Arena on Tuesday.
The world No. 192 won his first singles match in three years against Frenchman Harold Maillot at Melbourne Park to advance to the second round of Australian Open qualifying. Kubler’s fast start saw him win the match 6-3 6-4 and set up a match against 17th seed Virius Gauba.
Having a large group of people together can be intimidating at first. However, Kubler’s experience on the big stage with Linky Hijikata came in handy when he won his dream doubles title at the 2023 Australian Open.
>. Read more: Hijikata, Birel make good progress in Adelaide
“It’s been a few years since I actually won a round here other than doubles. I was pretty excited to play for Kia.” [Arena] In the same way. “Being able to be on a big court is pretty cool, especially at a slam tournament,” he said.
“[My experience] That’s probably what helps the most in terms of winning in front of a crowd. Before going into a match, you don’t know how to handle the situation, so I think it would be good to have the experience of playing in front of a large number of people while keeping your nerves at bay. ”
A sixth Australian Open main draw appearance may be on the cards, but Kubler doesn’t have the courage to dream just yet. What was on his mind was the opening match between his fiancée Madison Inglis and Spaniard Leyre Romero Gormaz, which was being played on Court 7 during the match. and she kept winning.
McCabe appears on ‘Australian Courtroom’
The ANZ Arena has traditionally served as a stage to showcase Australia’s next generation. Athletes such as Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis have found success on the court formerly known as Show Court 3, and now McCabe will join the growing list of Australians who have won there.
McCabe, who made his debut in 2025 and is aiming to return to the main draw of the Australian Open, took on Pavle Marinkov, who had failed in three attempts, at the ANZ Arena on Tuesday morning. However, he managed to ignite his qualifying campaign with a straight-sets win over his compatriot.
In front of a near-capacity crowd, the world No. 173 proved too good for Marinkov, hitting 10 of 27 winners in a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win.
“To win on an Australian court, I think this court is probably where all Australians want to play,” McCabe said. “It feels good and I hope I can keep it going.
“It was everyone’s dream to play in the Australian Open as a kid, and now I’m just grateful to be able to play in the Australian Open again.”
The advantage of playing at home is playing in front of friends and family, and the new South Welshman had no shortage of support in his opening qualifying match.
“My manager and his brother and sons were here. Both of his sons are my best friends,” McCabe said. “I love playing in front of people.” [my home] crowd. Australians don’t realize how much it actually helps us. ”
McCabe will turn his attention to 23rd seed Nikolai Budkov Kjaer in the second round as he looks to qualify for the main draw.
Australia in action – AO 2026 Qualifiers
2nd day results
Men’s singles qualifying round 1
Jason Kubler (Australia) d Harold Mayotte (France) 6-3 6-4
James McCabe (Australia) d [WC] Pavle Marinkov (Australia) 6-2 7-6(5)
Elias Immer (SWE) d Alex Bolt (Australia) 7-6(5) 7-6(5)
Stefano Travaglia (ITA) d [WC] Blake Ellis (Australia) 6-3 4-6 6-1
Rafael Jodard (ESP) d [WC] Lee Tu (Australia) 6-2 6-1
[9] Elmer Moller (DEN) d [WC] Mark Polmans (Australia) 6-4 7-6(6)
Michael Jen (USA) d [WC] Cruise Hewitt (Australia) 6-3 6-3
Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) d [Alt] Omar Jasika (Australia) 7-6(2) 6-0
[20] Liam Draxle (CAN) [WC] Moelani Busige (Australia) 7-6(3) 6-3
very soon
Australian Open men’s qualifying round 2
Dane Sweeney (Australia) v Jerome Keim (SUI)
Bernard Tomic (Australia) v Arthur Ferry (GBR)
Jason Kubler (Australia) v [17] Virius Gauba (LTU)
James McCabe (Australia) v [23] Nikolai Budkov Kjær (NOR)