Papua Nw Guinea's Violet Apisah to compete for a spot at Australian Open

Papua New Guinean tennis player Violet Apisah has been given a wildcard entry into a qualifying tournament for the Australian Open.

PNG Tennis said she will play in the main draw of the Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Playoff from 23-28 November.

The winner of that tournament, held in Chengdu, China, gets direct entry into the main draw of the 2027 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year held in Melbourne in January.

"Violet will have the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the Asian region, including girls ranked inside the world's top 200, all battling for that coveted Australian Open spot in January 2027," the association said.

The tennis organisation said Violet Apisah has reached number 992 on the WTA rankings, and she achieved this after only a couple of tournaments.

In 2018, her aunty Abigail Tere-Apisah narrowly missed the chance to become the first Papua New Guinean to reach a Grand Slam main draw.

Tere-Apisah competed on the International Tennis Federation lower-tier women's circuit, and reached a career-high WTA (Women's Tennis Association) world ranking inside the world's top 300.

She also won multiple gold medals representing Papua New Guinea at the Pacific Games.

Tere-Apisah is now a coach, and in June stepped into the role of Pacific Oceania Billie Jean King Cup captain.