Thai tennis makes history at the Grand Slam stage

Thai tennis has shown remarkable progress over the past few seasons.

Thai tennis just achieved an unforgettable milestone at the Grand Slam with Lanlana Tararudee’s latest victory in the final qualifying round of the 2026 Australian Open on the afternoon of January 15, Vietnam time.

This year’s Australian Open will mark the first time two female players from Thailand appear together in the main draw of a Grand Slam, highlighting the strong advancement of Thai tennis on the top international stage.

Lanlana Tararudee reached the main draw after winning three qualifying matches. In her opening match, she comfortably defeated Sofia Costoulas (Belgium) 6-4, 6-3. Next, despite facing former top-70 player Harriet Dart, Lanlana delivered an outstanding performance, overcoming the British competitor in three sets with scores of 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.

Today, the 2004-born player beat one of the world’s top young stars, Lilli Tagger, decisively 6-3, 6-0, earning her first-ever Grand Slam main draw appearance.

Mananchaya Sawangkaew will also make her Grand Slam debut at this year’s Australian Open, but her path to Melbourne Park was theoretically easier than her compatriot’s. The reigning SEA Games 33 silver medalist used a protected ranking to enter the “Happy Slam” with a ranking between 100 and 105, instead of her current 195th position.

Mananchaya had a period of strong performance in late 2024 and early 2025 before suffering a serious injury. She only returned in November, competing in several ITF tournaments to regain form ahead of the SEA Games. She reached the final and lost only to Southeast Asia’s top star, Alexandra Eala.

In the past, Thailand has produced many top tennis stars, most notably Paradorn Srichaphan, who reached world No. 9, Danai Udomchoke (who reached the third round of the 2007 Australian Open), and Tamarine Tanasugarn (former world No. 18 in women’s singles, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2008 and was known as a grass-court specialist).

After about a decade of declining results, Thai tennis has made a strong comeback in the last two years. At last year’s Australian Open, Kasidit Samrej qualified for the main draw and pushed Daniil Medvedev to a fifth set. Additionally, Maximus Jones, the reigning SEA Games men’s singles champion, won the ATP Challenger title in Abidjan (Ivory Coast).

Not only Thailand, but Southeast Asian tennis overall is also experiencing a resurgence. At least five ASEAN players are competing at this year’s Australian Open: Alexandra Eala (Philippines), Janice Tjen (Indonesia), Lanlana Tararudee, Mananchaya Sawangkaew, and Pruchya Isaro (Thailand). Additionally, Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia), with a high doubles ranking, is also likely to participate.