Tennis Australia Media Release, August 26, 2026
A new wave of young Australian tennis talent is making its mark, with 20-year-old West Australian Taylah Preston this week breaking into the world’s top 100 for the first time.
Preston, known for fearless shot-making and high-intensity style of play, joins Talia Gibson (22 years old) and Maya Joint (20 years old) as the third young Aussie to reach the major milestone in the space of just 18 months.
The achievement marks a pivotal moment in the highly talented Australian’s career, and puts her in a position to secure automatic entry into the world’s four Grand Slams.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Preston said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of years. But it’s definitely been a goal for a long time now.”
Currently ranked 100 in the world, Preston’s rise follows her two biggest career titles this year at the W100 Tokyo in April and the WTA 125 Vancouver earlier this month. She also secured a career-first win in a Grand Slam main draw as a wildcard at Australian Open 2026, against former top-25 star Zhang Shuai of China.
Preston will next feature at the US Open, which commences at 1.00am AEST on Monday morning.
“I’m extremely grateful to be given a chance to compete in the main draw in New York, it means a lot to me,” she said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work with my team and can’t wait to get out there and compete.”
Preston is a product of the Australian tennis pathway, having begun playing the sport at the age of four. She has progressed through Western Australia’s junior talent programs and has been part of Tennis Australia’s National Tennis Academy.
In 2022, she reached a career-high No.10 in the World Tennis (formerly ITF) junior rankings. She was also named the Female Junior Athlete of the Year at the Australian Tennis Awards for three straight years (2021-2023), becoming only the second player to achieve the feat since Australian tennis legend Ash Barty.
She is currently coached by Brett Hunter at the National Tennis Academy in Brisbane, with the additional support of National Development Program Lead, Craig Tyzzer.
Tennis Australia’s Director of Player Development Nicole Kriz said reaching the top 100 is only just the start of good things for Preston.
“Reaching the top 100 is a fantastic milestone, but knowing Taylah’s work ethic, character and appetite for growth, we genuinely believe this is just the beginning,” Kriz said.
“She is exceptionally engaged, curious and is always striving to become the best version of herself every day. She is an outstanding person with great character and an incredible work ethic, which makes her a fantastic role model for the next generation.”
Preston said she was excited by the group of young Australian tennis talent coming through the ranks, which also includes former junior world No.1 and current world No. 126 Emerson Jones (18 years old).
“It’s really cool to have the four of us doing really well at the moment. We all train together in Brisbane and it’s a really good environment there. We all get along really well and we’re good friends. It helps motivate each other with each of us doing well. It kind of shows what’s possible and we push each other,” Preston said.
As far as role models go, Preston has long looked up to some of tennis’ biggest names.
“I used to love watching Sharapova play when I was little, she would definitely be one of my favourites. And then watching Ash [Barty] and having an Aussie being number one in the world and doing everything, that was really cool to see.”
