Final Aussie Open wildcards handed out

Reigning French Open junior champion Alexei Popyrin and surprise pick Jason Kubler have received the final two Australian Open men's wildcards.

Alexei Popyrin

Reigning French Open junior champion Alexei Popyrin has received an Australian Open wildcard. (AAP)

The final two Australian Open wildcards have been awarded to reigning French Open junior champion Alexei Popyrin and surprise pick Jason Kubler.

After confirming on Thursday that Bernard Tomic would miss out, Tennis Australia unveiled Sydney-born teenager Popyrin and injury-plagued Queenslander Kubler, a former world No.1 junior, as their last wildcard entries for the opening grand slam of 2018.

World No.621 Popyrin, 18, burst onto the scene last year when he became Australia's first French Open junior champion in 49 years.

He joined legends Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, and John Newcombe as only the fifth Australian to have his name added to the honour roll in the event's 70-year history.

The teenager earned an Australian Open wildcard on Saturday - the same day he defeated second seed and world No.68 Federico Delbonis of Argentina to qualify for the Sydney International.

"I'm so excited to have been awarded this wildcard for my first ever grand slam main draw," Popyrin said.

"What an amazing opportunity."

Tennis Australia director of performance Wally Masur described Popyrin as "one of the most exciting prospects in Australian tennis".

"He won the French Open junior tournament last year, which was really impressive in our eyes," he said.

"This wildcard will be a huge stepping stone as he goes from playing the top juniors in the world to playing week-in, week-out, on the professional tour."

Despite his pedigree, 24-year-old Kubler is was an unlikely pick after his ranking plummeted to 341 due to a string of injuries that stalled his career.

"It's been a tough time with all the injuries I've had so that makes this opportunity that much sweeter," Kubler said.

The pair join fellow Australians Thanasi Kokkinakis, Brisbane International semi-finalist Alex De Minaur and Alex Bolt plus American Tim Smyczek, Korea's Soon Woo Kwon and France's Forentin Moutet as 2018 Australian Open men's wildcard recipients.

The tournament will run from January 15-28.


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Source: AAP



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