Akane Yamaguchi will headline the SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2026 – returning to the tournament nine years after finishing runner-up to compatriot Nozomi Okuhara in 2017.

The world No.3 starts as the top seed, just days after contesting her third final in four weeks in Jakarta. Yamaguchi, who won Thailand Open on 17 May and finished runner-up at the Singapore and Indonesia Opens, begins her campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Huang Ching Ping on Wednesday.

The Japanese star is the clear favourite given her recent form, with only Pusarla V. Sindhu and Pornpawee Chochuwong joining her among the world’s top 10 players in the draw. With Chochuwong in the bottom half, Pusarla represents her toughest test in the top 16 bracket.

In men’s singles, Chinese Taipei teammates Chou Tien Chen and Lin Chun-Yi are the leading contenders, particularly following the withdrawals of fourth seed Loh Kean Yew and sixth seed Ayush Shetty. Indonesia’s seeded hopes in men’s doubles – Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (1) and Raymod Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin (5) have also pulled out.

Below are the other withdrawals and promotions.

Withdrawals

Men’s singles: H.S. Prannoy

Women’s singles: Goh Jin Wei, Anmol Kharb

Mixed doubles: Gao Jia Xuan/Wei Ya Xin, Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto

Promotions

Men’s singles: Dong Tian Yao, Zhu Xuan Chen, Kantaphon Wangcharoen

Women’s singles: Tonrug Saeheng, Vivien Sandorhazi

Men’s doubles: Bo Yuan Chen/Ming Che Lu, Kanki Igawa/Ooi Yi Hern

Mixed doubles: Jayden Lim/Victoria Tjonadi, Tonkid Saeheng/Tonrug Saeheng

Click here to view the updated draw.

SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2026 begins tomorrow, with the first qualification match scheduled for 7am Kuala Lumpur time (UTC +8).