Katie O’Brien and Elena Baltacha have qualified for the main draw at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
In Saturday’s final round of qualifying, both players recorded straight sets victories to join Anne Keothavong and Mel South in the first round.
It will be the first time four British female players have competed in a Grand Slam main draw outside of Wimbledon since the US Open in 1992.
O’Brien, who will be playing in the main draw for the first time, defeated Betina Jozami of Argentina 6-0 7-6(2).
The 22 year-old will now meet Monica Niculescu, ranked 109 places higher than the Brit at No.51. Their only previous meeting was in 2007, the Romanian beating O’Brien 6-4 6-2 in Istanbul.
Baltacha will face the world No.71 from Germany, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, in the first round after an excellent win over top seeded Croatian, Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-1 6-3.
The British No.3 will be making her third appearance in the main draw, her best run coming in 2005 when she qualified and reached the third round.
“It was great to see Katie and Bally battle their way through qualifying and earn their spots in the main draw to join Anne and Mel,” said Nigel Sears, Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the LTA. “They both had their moments to deal with during the three rounds but always kept their heads when tested. It was a day to remember!”
Meanwhile, Keothavong and South will meet Russian Anna Chakvetadze and Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli. In the men’s event, Andy Murray will begin his campaign against Romanian Andrei Pavel.