Photos: Wakana Sonobe and all of 2025's WTA main-draw debuts
Australian Open junior champion Wakana Sonobe became the fourth player to make her WTA main-draw debut in 2025 after qualifying and reaching the second round of Abu Dhabi.
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New Zealand's Vivian Yang, 19, earned an Auckland wild card after winning a play-off in December. The Pepperdine University student, ranked No. 1139, lost to Jodie Burrage in Round 1.
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Junior No.1 Emerson Jones, 16, received a wild card for Adelaide. The Australian, ranked No. 371, upset Wang Xinyu before falling to Daria Kasatkina in two tight sets in Round 2.
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Ranked No. 171, Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec dropped just 13 games in three matches to qualify for the Australian Open, and fell to Suzan Lamens in Round 1. The 25-year-old was the Cali WTA 125 runner-up at the end of 2024.
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Fresh off the Australian Open junior title, Japan's Wakana Sonobe made a splash by qualifying and making the second round of Abu Dhabi. The 17-year-old, ranked No. 837, notched her first two Top 100 wins over Hailey Baptiste and Yuan Yue during her run.
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