Dates, draws, prize money and facts you need to know

Women’s tennis fans receive a holiday gift on Friday, Dec. 27 when the Australian swing of the 2025 Hologic WTA Tour season kicks off, opening a new year of the world’s best traveling the globe.

Six tour-level events and one WTA 125 event will take place over the next month on the outdoor hardcourts of Australia and New Zealand, culminating with the year’s first major, the Australian Open. The Dunlop Australian Open ball will be used during the entire Aussie swing.

Here’s how last year’s trip Down Under on the Hologic WTA Tour shook out:

United Cup (WTA 500): Germany def. Poland 2-1
Brisbane (WTA 500): Elena Rybakina def. Aryna Sabalenka, 6-0, 6-3
Auckland (WTA 250): Coco Gauff def. Elina Svitolina, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3

Adelaide (WTA 500): Jelena Ostapenko def. Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-2
Hobart (WTA 250): Emma Navarro def. Elise Mertens, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5

Australian Open (Grand Slam): Aryna Sabalenka def. Zheng Qinwen, 6-3, 6-2

Without further ado, here’s what’s lined up for the 2025 Aussie swing:

Week 1: Dec. 27, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025

United Cup (WTA 500 & ATP 500 mixed-team event) – starts Friday, Dec. 27

At the third edition of the mixed-team United Cup, Germany will be back to try to defend their title, and 2023 champions United States will be the top-seeded squad. Click here to read about all of the key dates, players and other facts surrounding the 2025 United Cup.

Brisbane International presented by Evie (WTA 500) – main draw starts Sunday, Dec. 29

Main Draw Ceremony: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 9 a.m., on site
Singles Final: Sunday, Jan. 5 not before 4:30 p.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, Jan. 4 at 11 a.m.
Draw Size: 48 singles players (incl. 6 qualifiers, 4 wild cards and 16 byes for seeded players), 16 doubles teams
Time Zone: Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT +10, EST +15)

Projected Top 8 seeds: (1) Aryna Sabalenka, (2) Emma Navarro, (3) Daria Kasatkina, (4) Paula Badosa, (5) Diana Shnaider, (6) Anna Kalinskaya, (7) Jelena Ostapenko, (8) Mirra Andreeva
Withdrawals: Jessica Pegula (knee injury)

The first WTA 500 single-elimination main draw of the season will take place in Brisbane, where Aryna Sabalenka will start a calendar year as the World No.1 for the first time in her career. More storylines to look out for:

• Brisbane boasts 10 of the world’s Top 20 players on the main-draw entry list. Along with the Top 8 seeds listed above, Marta Kostyuk and Victoria Azarenka are the other Top 20 players entered. 16 seeded players will receive first-round byes at this event.
• Aryna Sabalenka made her Brisbane debut last year, where she reached the final without dropping a set. In the final, Sabalenka was defeated in straight sets by Elena Rybakina — but Sabalenka rebounded weeks later by winning her second straight Australian Open title.
• Former World No.1 Azarenka was the inaugural Brisbane International champion in 2009, and she won the title again in 2016. Azarenka has an incredible 18-3 career win-loss record in Brisbane, and will be back for the seventh time this year.
• Retired WTA legend Serena Williams is also a two-time Brisbane champion, winning the title back-to-back in 2013 and 2014. Williams defeated Azarenka in the blockbuster 2014 final.
• Karolina Pliskova has won the most Brisbane titles, with three (2017, 2019 and 2020). Former World No.1 Pliskova is not entered in Brisbane this year.

Brisbane ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 point | $10,660
Second round: 32 points | $12,300
Round of 16: 60 points | $17,750
Quarterfinals: 108 points | $35,000
Semifinals: 195 points | $69,950
Finalist: 325 points | $120,735
Champion: 500 points | $192,475

ASB Classic (WTA 250) – main draw starts Monday, Dec. 30

Main Draw Ceremony: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 1 p.m.
Singles Final: Sunday, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m.
Doubles Final: Sunday, Jan. 5, following the singles final
Draw Size: 32 singles players (incl. 6 qualifiers and 4 wild cards), 16 doubles teams
Time Zone: New Zealand Daylight Time (GMT +13, EST +18)

Projected seeded players: (1) Madison Keys, (2) Elise Mertens, (3) Amanda Anisimova, (4) Lulu Sun, (5) Clara Tauson, (6) Emma Raducanu, (7) Naomi Osaka, (8) Katie Volynets

Auckland, New Zealand will host the ASB Classic for the 38th time on the Hologic WTA Tour — the only event of this swing to take place outside of Australia. More storylines to look out for:

• Four Grand Slam champions are entered in the main draw: Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin. Stephens is the 2016 Auckland champion.
• This will be Osaka’s first Auckland appearance since a quarterfinal result in her 2017 tournament debut. Raducanu will be seeking her first Auckland quarterfinal after second-round losses in each of the last two years.
• Lulu Sun will be back to compete on home soil for the first time since her breakthrough 2024 season, where she reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals as a qualifier and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.
• Top-seeded Madison Keys will be playing the Auckland main draw for the first time in her career. Keys’ only previous Auckland appearance was a qualifying loss to Luksika Kumkhum in 2012.

Auckland ranking points and prize money
First round: 1 point | $2,975
Round of 16: 30 points | $4,160
Quarterfinals: 54 points | $6,815
Semifinals: 98 points | $11,970
Finalist: 163 points | $21,484
Champion: 250 points | $36,300

Workday Canberra International (WTA 125) – main draw starts Monday, Dec. 30

The sole WTA 125 event of the Aussie swing will take place in the Australian capital of Canberra (GMT +11, EST +16). Defending champion Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain will be back as the projected No.1 seed. The singles final will be on Saturday, Jan. 4.

Week 2: Jan. 6 – Jan. 11

Adelaide International (WTA 500) – main draw starts Monday, Jan. 6

Main Draw Ceremony: TBD
Singles Final: Saturday, Jan. 11, not before 4 p.m.
Doubles Final: Friday, Jan. 10 at 12 noon
Time Zone: Australian Central Daylight Time (GMT +10.5, EST +15.5)
Draw Size: 32 singles players (incl. 6 qualifiers and 4 wild cards), 16 doubles teams

Projected seeds: (1) Jasmine Paolini, (2) Jessica Pegula, (3) Emma Navarro, (4) Daria Kasatkina, (5) Barbora Krejcikova, (6) Danielle Collins, (7) Paula Badosa, (8) Diana Shnaider

Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko will join five Top 10 players at the sixth edition of the Adelaide International. Madison Keys is another former Adelaide champion in the mix. More info to come following Week 1 of the Aussie swing…

Hobart International (WTA 250) – main draw starts Monday, Jan. 6

Main Draw Ceremony: Saturday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m., on site
Singles Final: Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m.
Doubles Final: Saturday, Jan. 11, not before 3 p.m.
Time Zone: Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16)
Draw Size: 30 singles players (incl. 6 qualifiers, 4 wild cards and 2 byes for Top 2 seeds), 16 doubles teams

Projected seeds: (1) Dayana Yastremska, (2) Elise Mertens, (3) Amanda Anisimova, (4) Magda Linette, (5) Lulu Sun, (6) Elina Avanesyan, (7) Rebecca Sramkova, (8) Yuan Yue

Two-time champion Elise Mertens (2017, 2018) returns to the island of Tasmania, where she also finished as last year’s runner-up. More info to come following Week 1 of the Aussie swing…

Weeks 3 and 4: Jan. 12 – Jan. 26

Australian Open (Grand Slam) – main draw starts Sunday, Jan. 12

Main Draw Ceremony: Thursday, Jan. 9 at 1:00 p.m., on site
Singles Final: Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Doubles Final: Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.
Mixed Doubles Final: Friday, Jan. 24 at 12 noon
Draw Size: 128 singles players (incl. 16 qualifiers and 8 wild cards), 64 doubles teams, 32 mixed doubles teams
Time Zone: Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11, EST +16)

The year’s first major will be back in Melbourne Park, where World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to become the first woman to win three straight Australian Open singles titles since Martina Hingis (1997-1999).

As expected, the entire WTA elite is planning to head to Melbourne, with all of the Top 98 players in the PIF Rankings included in the main-draw entry list. A complete breakdown of the seedings and storylines will follow after Week 1 of the Aussie swing concludes.