Hsieh Su-Wei to play last singles major at the Australian Open

Dubbed the "magician" by many fans and commentators, Taiwanese star Hsieh Su-Wei announced that this year's Australian Open will be her last singles major. After being away from the tour for about 18 months, Hsieh won the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon titles. She also reached the semifinals at the US Open and was nominated for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year.

Hsieh Su-Wei has cemented herself as one of this generation's greatest doubles players, having been ranked number one and won six major titles (2 with Peng Shuai, 2 with Barbora Strycova, 1 with Elise Mertens, and 1 with Wang Xinyu).

However, Hsieh is also an accomplished singles player. Hsieh reached a career-high singles ranking of 23, won three singles titles, and reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open.

Hsieh Su-Wei will start her final singles major in the qualifying

Having been away from the tour for more than a year, Hsieh has had to rely on a protected ranking to enter singles tournaments. Her protected ranking was not high enough to get into the main draw of this year's Australian Open, so finds herself in the qualifying draw.

Fans down under will undoubtedly flock to see Hsieh compete in singles for possibly the final time. Hsieh's game is as unorthodox as it is effective. Her double-handed groundstrokes, drop shots, lobs, and volleys make for bewildering and show-stopping tennis. One must only remember the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, where Hsieh defeated world number one Simona Halep in the third round.

Hsieh remains one of the world's best doubles players

While her singles career may be coming to an end, Hsieh is still a force on the doubles court. Hsieh is currently ranked number 6 in the world and has no points to defend until late April. She and Elise Mertens will be seeded second at the Australian Open, where Hsieh will bid for her seventh career major.

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