Adelaide International set to welcome Elena Rybakina as second Australian Open warm-up confirmed

With the 2024 Australian Open less than two months away, Elena Rybakina has opted to compete at the Adelaide International in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the season.

The tournament organizers confirmed the 2022 Wimbledon champion's participation this week, announcing Rybakina as the first marquee WTA player to compete at the WTA 500 event. The Adelaide International is slated to run from January 8-13, 2024.

The Kazakhstan native competed in two editions of the event in 2023, losing in the second round to Marta Kostyuk in Adelaide 1, before falling to two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova in the first round of Adelaide 2. Rybakina also finished runner-up in 2022, losing to retired tennis star Ashleigh Barty.

Rybakina is set to kick off her 2024 campaign in Brisbane, where she will compete alongside former World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and a returning Naomi Osaka. After playing at Adelaide, the Kazakhstani will set her sights on the Australian Open, where she lost in the final this year to Sabalenka.