World No.168 decides first purchase with £243k Australian Open prize money | Tennis | Sport

Maddison Inglis has revealed that she will be spending her Australian Open prize money in an unusual way after reaching the fourth round. The local hero, who is ranked 168th by the WTA, exceeded expectations by getting through her first three matches at Melbourne Park. She earned a hard-fought victory over Kimberly Birrell in round one before upsetting Laura Siegemund in her next outing.

Inglis was due to face Naomi Osaka in round three but went straight into the fourth round after the Japanese player withdrew because of an injury. She went up against Iga Swiatek, which proved a step too far as the Pole breezed through in straight sets. Inglis failed to win a single game in the opening set before improving in the second, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 6-0 6-3 defeat.

Despite her defeat, the 28-year-old has been celebrated across Australia after giving the home fans something to cheer about. She also claimed a huge amount of prize money, being awarded £243,000 for making the fourth round.

Inglis was slightly overwhelmed when asked what she would be spending it on, taking a moment to think before revealing that she would be buying a toaster.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” she replied. “Yeah, it’s a lot of money. It’s, yeah, the most prize money I’ve ever received in one tournament. Yeah, it’s pretty cool.

“I’ll definitely use a lot of it to invest back into my tennis and have some people on the road with me to support me and make some weeks a bit easier with family or friends, yeah, because it’s a long year. Yeah, do that, for sure.

“I love shopping, so I’m sure I’ll buy something nice. I’ve wanted a Smeg toaster for so long, so long, that I just was, like, no you can’t do that. So I think that’s going to be my treat, and maybe the kettle, too.”

Inglis added that before heading off to splash her cash, she would be staying in Melbourne to support her fiance Jason Kubler in the men’s doubles.

“Yeah, just have a chilled week on the Gold Coast, which I’m looking forward to at home,” she said. “Yeah, before that I’ll be out there supporting Jason in the doubles.”

Despite losing to Swiatek in a one-sided defeat, Inglis was proud of herself after defying expectations to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Reflecting on the match, she said: “I gave it everything these last two weeks, she’s just a next level player. I don’t think I’ve had a lot of experience playing those matches, you just feel that pressure from every ball from her.

“It’s just… I’ve kind of got to do something here. I’ve got to really take my chances that I get because I’m not going to get too many.”