Anticipation builds as the three-time tournament champion makes a powerful comeback!

Many fans feel that Karolína Plíšková from the Czech Republic hasn’t appeared on the tour for quite some time. Born in 1992, she is about to turn 34, an age when many professional players start contemplating retirement.

In reality, Plíšková has no plans to retire yet. She officially returned in September this year, making her debut at the WTA125 event in Cluj-Napoca, but played only a few matches afterward, finishing the 2025 season with a 1-2 win-loss record.

However, in 2024 she won the WTA250 singles title at the Cluj-Napoca tournament, marking her 17th WTA Tour singles championship and ending a four-year title drought in her career.

As the 2026 season approaches, Plíšková has confirmed she will use a protected ranking (No. 40) to compete at the 2026 Australian Open and has registered for the Brisbane 500 event as preparation. She also underwent intensive training recently in Tenerife, Spain.

The latest entry list for the 2026 WTA500 Brisbane main draw features seven top-10 players: Sabalenka, Anisimova, Rybakina, Pegula, Keys, Andreescu, and Alexandrova. Additionally, well-known high-ranked players like Tauson and Ostapenko are also participating.

The defending champion of this tournament is Rybakina from Kazakhstan, who demonstrated excellent form late in the season by barely qualifying for the year-end finals and then winning the championship. Whether she can maintain this momentum into 2026 remains to be seen.

As a three-time tournament winner, Plíšková clearly has more experience competing in Brisbane. In the 2017 season, she was the No. 3 seed and defeated Putintseva, Muhammad, Vinci, Svitolina, and Cornet en route to claiming her first Brisbane title.

In 2019, seeded No. 5, Plíšková consecutively beat Putintseva, Bozicova, Tomljanovic, Vekic, and Tsurenko to capture her second Brisbane singles crown.

In 2020, as the defending champion, she overcame Tomljanovic, Riske, Osaka, and Keys to win her third Brisbane title, undoubtedly making her one of the most successful players on this court.

Although Plíšková, entering the main draw with a protected ranking, is no longer among the favorites to win, fans are hopeful she can secure several match victories!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)