The 2025 playing field sees the return of both women’s and men’s 2024 champions. The women’s field is headlined by top seed Anna Bondar. Photo: Tennis Australia.
Canberra will welcome many of the world’s top 100 tennis players and the next generation of superstars as they arrive to compete in this year’s Workday Canberra International.
Held at the Canberra Tennis Centre in Lyneham from 29 December to 4 January 2025, the 2025 Workday Canberra International will help open the 2025 Australian Summer of Tennis.
Known for showcasing many of the world’s best alongside the next generation of global superstars, and with a prize pool of US$320,000, the 2025 event promises to be bigger and better than ever.
The 2025 playing field, announced by tournament director Lawrence Robertson on Friday (6 December), sees the return of both the women’s and men’s 2024 champions, with a raft of current top 100 players, alongside current and former world number one junior players and junior Grand Slam champions.
The women’s field is headlined by top seed Anna Bondar.
Bondar has a career-high ranking of 50 and is the number one Hungarian tennis player, with two WTA Challenger titles to her name.
Danka Kovinic comes to Canberra as the second seed. The Montenegrin superstar has a career-high of 46 and reached the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.
Spanish player Nuria Parrizas Diaz will be back to defend her title as the 2024 Workday Canberra International Champion. Parrizas has a career high of 45, and three WTA Challenger titles to her name.
Two of Australia’s emerging talents will also feature in the main draw.
Emerson Jones returns after making her debut in Canberra last year. Photo: Tennis Australia.
Sixteen-year-old Queenslander Emerson Jones, currently the world’s number one junior player and a junior Grand Slam singles finalist at the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon junior events, returns following her Canberra debut in 2024.
Jones will be joined by fellow Australian Taylah Preston from Western Australia.
Preston has had an impressive year, reaching the final of the 2024 WTA 125 singles at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She was also a 2024 US Open main draw singles wildcard recipient.
Both Jones and Preston were joint winners of the 2023 Newcombe Medal for Female Junior Athlete of the Year.
The men’s field is headlined by top seed Taro Daniel with a career high of 58. Japan’s Daniel has had Grand Slam appearances, including at the Australian Open, where he made it to the third round after beating former finalist Andy Murray.
Second-seed British player Jacob Fearnley has a career-high of 89 and has had a strong 2024, winning four ATP Challenger titles.
German player Dominik Koepfer returns as the third seed and the 2024 Workday Canberra International champion after he defeated Czech player Jakub Mensik 6-3 6-2 in the final.
Koepfer has a career-high of 49, reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Masters 1000 at the Italian Open in 2020, as well as the fourth round of the US Open and third round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
“We are delighted to see Dominik Koepfer and Nuria Parizzas-Diaz return once again to defend their titles. We will also welcome six of the top 100 players across both the men’s and women’s fields. I am most excited by the next generation of stars that we will host,” Tournament director Lawrence Robertson said.
“Headlined by our very own Emerson Jones, currently the world’s number one junior player, she is joined by a number of former junior world number ones and Grand Slam winners, including Alina Korneeva, Elsa Jacquemot and both Linda and Brenda Fruhvirtova, who both smashed many junior records on their way into the professional ranks.
“On the men’s side, seeking to emulate the career trajectory of the current world number one Jannik Sinner, who competed in this event in 2021, we will welcome two former US Open junior champions in Brazil’s Joao Fonseca and Spain’s Martin Landaluce, both former world number one juniors alongside Alexander Blockx, who won the junior AO title in 2023.
Tennis ACT CEO Mark La Brooy outlined a number of new additions, including the ‘Live & Loudish’ site, which showcases local music every evening.
“We also welcome Kids Tennis Day on 2 January – a day for the families,” La Brooy said.
“Kids will get free entry, plus there will be free activities happening all day: face painting, glitter tattoos, tennis activities with prizes such as 100 free racquets, and over 2500 free ice blocks to be given away in the afternoon.
“With tickets starting at only $20 and with kids going free for the first four days, it’s a chance for fans to witness world-class tennis up close and personal.
“Canberra is a unique and truly spectacular venue. There are not many other venues across the country where fans can sit just metres away from the action.
“This event will see over 3000 room nights booked, delivering over $2 million of economic impact to the ACT and capital region at a time when the capital is its quietest.”
Tickets start from $20 and are available now from Canberra International. Check out the website for details, including when kids under 12 can watch world-class tennis for free.
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