Kgothatso Montjane Heads to Australian Open at the Back of an Explosive 2023

South Africa’s leading wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane is one of the top players heading to the Australian Open to play in the biggest wheelchair draw yet will be held at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 23 – 27 January, 2024.

The Australian Open 2024 wheelchair championships will feature increased draw sizes 16 women in the first Grand Slam event of the year. 

Montjane, the first black South African woman to compete at Wimbledon, had possibly the most memorable year in her career in 2023, winning the Wheelchair Doubles French Open title alongside her Japanese partner, Yui Kamiji in June 2023. 

That victory was followed by a US Open title for Montjane and Kamiji following a walkover win when their opponents, top-seeded Dutch pair Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen due to illness.

Ranked 11th in the singles ITF Rankings, Montjane will also be chasing an elusive singles title as she’s stated in several interviews that that has become her Achilles Heel. 

Speaking to SABC Sport, she expressed her disappointment in her results in singles tennis, stating that for those reasons, although she was a successful last year, she’s still eyeing individual glory. 

“My results [in singles] are not necessarily where I wanted them to be. I know I won big titles in doubles, but in singles, which is always my main focus, I feel like I didn’t do well. Didn’t do enough. That’s why it’s a bittersweet one” 

Montjane’s run in Melbourne last year ended in the semi-final round of the women’s event, losing to Netherlands’ Diede de Groot 6-1, 6-1. 

The Limpopo-born star and her former Japanese partner Manami Tanaka lost in the doubles semi-final to Yui Kamiji and Zhu Zhenzhen 6-2, 7-5. 

The first Slam of the year will field eight teams in the quad doubles field, matching the draw sizes of the women’s singles and doubles.

With equal prize money for men, women and Quad divisions, the confirmed women’s entry list for AO 2024 is as follows:

Photo Caption: Two-time Grand Slam Wheelchair tennis sensation Kgothatso Montjane is one of the leading stars at the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. Montjane, who has put SA tennis on the map, is still chasing her maiden singles Gland Slam title. Photo: Kgothatso Montjane on X