AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2026

Hailey Baptiste

Press Conference

H. BAPTISTE/T. Townsend

6-3, 6-7, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Hailey, talk us through today's victory, and congratulations.

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Thank you. It was obviously a pretty tough match. Probably like two-and-a-half hours or something. It was pretty smooth in the beginning. I was playing well, feeling good. Then she raised her level a bit, and we had a super tight second set.

Had some chances to get close, but ended up splitting. I was able to come out on top and play pretty confident and aggressive in the third. So I was happy with it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How did you adjust to the opponent switch fairly late?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Yeah, I was saying that it happened in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago. So I was just, like, it's crazy that that happens twice in three tournaments. But I got that experience a couple of weeks ago.

Obviously it's difficult when you're practicing and planning to play one person. Luckily, they're both lefty, so that was, I guess, a plus.

Q. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, this has been your first win on the tour level for a couple of months. Obviously you had the offseason, but how much of a confidence booster is it to get this win given the first tournaments of the year didn't go your way, per se?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Yeah, I mean, it's been a little while since I got a win, so obviously feels really good. When I first got to Australia, I had the flu. So the first week I was kind of just went out there and hoping to make it to the end of the match.

Yeah, I mean, the first win always feels really good.

Q. I haven't seen you since you stopped with Franklin. I'm curious how you decided that. Then you're still working with Eric, is that right?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Yeah, still with Eric. Me and Franklin, still super close. He's just taking some time at home right now, so...

Q. I guess the added benefit of playing on Sunday is you have a couple of days off to prepare, and I know you have doubles as well. What did you learn from today's match that you're hoping to use the next day off to kind of prepare for in your upcoming singles match?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Yeah, I have another day of practice in between. I think maybe I'll have two days.

So I'll just try to sharpen up things I didn't do as well today and prepare for my next opponent, who I think I've played before. But, yeah, take it the same as I did today.

Q. Hailey, how did you spend the offseason? What was sort of the mindset to reset for this year?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: Yeah, I was in Florida and D.C. I split my time between the two cities, Miami and D.C., and just training. Went on a little vacation. Yeah, just got back to it. We obviously don't have much time. But, yeah, I'm excited to be back.

Q. After last year, how do you think about expectations for this year? How do you define what success looks like in 2026 for you?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: The goal is always to, you know, do better than you did the previous year or previous week, whatever. So I'm hoping to have some bigger results and get my ranking to jump even higher and really staple my name on the tour just as a player.

Q. Players have a benchmark that they want to advance this far in a certain tournament. Do you set those expectations for yourself? How do you evaluate that you have achieved your expectations?

HAILEY BAPTISTE: I mean, any time you play a tournament, the goal is to win. So, yeah, it's the same every week I guess.