16th ranked player on the WTA tour should cruise through her qualifying matches.
Fans of Yanina Wickmayer have to hate the “Whereabouts Rule” right now as Wickmayer is the most prominent victim of that rule.
Without getting into to it too deeply, the rule basically states that professional tennis players have to notify the authorities of where they are on a regular basis so that they can be tested for banned substances, if the authorities so desire.
Failing to do so, even if you are clean like Wickmayer, may lead to suspensions.
Those suspensions might get lifted but they can still end you up in a Grand Slam qualifying tournament and outside of the main draw, even when you’re coming off of a title and ranked 16th in the world and everyone with active grey matter knows you belong in the field of 128 and may even be a future quarterfinalist.
Wickmayer should cruise through women’s qualifying but she’s going to have to expend extra energy at the Australian Open and technically she could still lose a match – upsets happen.
Wickmayer’s draw through qualifying will go through Yurika Sema, then probably Alexandra Panova, and then probably Lourdes Dominquez Lino.