Barty, Raducanu conclude the warm-up for the Sydney Australian Open

Ashleigh Barty and Emma Raducanu will be the main performers when the women’s tennis elite returns to Sydney for the first time in three years before next month’s Australian Open, organizers said on Saturday.

World number one and Wimbledon champion Barty finished second in Sydney International’s final two rounds in 2018 and 2019, before the 134-year-old tournament fell victim to the Australian season reorganization.

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Barty returns to the port city Sydney Tennis Classic 9-15. January at the forefront of a strong field of 19 of the world’s top 24 female players.

Top 10 players Garbine Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova, Maria Sakkari, Anett Kontaveit, Paula Badosa, Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur will compete for the WTA 500 title with the Australian.

British teenager Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, a Canadian he won in the finals to win his fairytale run at the US Open championship earlier this year, are also in action at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Center.

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem is the main drawing card for the ATP tournament along with Australian Alex de Minaur, who was the last men’s Sydney International champion in 2019.

Barty will also be playing at Adelaide International in preparation for his home Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne Park, which starts on January 17th.