Bethanie Mattek-Sands will use her protected ranking in Brisbane and at the Australian Open, TENNIS.com has learned. The American will also play doubles Down Under, partnering with her good friend Sania Mirza in Sydney—where she will also attempt to qualify in singles—and with Lucie Safarova at the Australian Open.
The 29-year-old was out for six months last year with an injured hip and will able to use her protected ranking in eight tournaments. Mattek-Sands did play four tournaments last fall, including Beijing, which she qualified for. An aggressive player, Mattek-Sands reached her career-high rankings of No. 30 in singles and No. 11 in doubles in 2011.
Mattek-Sands has had some good results in Australia before. She reached the final of Hobart in 2011 and won five matches in Sydney last year, including two over Eugenie Bouchard and Agnieszka Radwanska, before having to retire against Madison Keys in the quarterfinals due to injury. She has been coached by Adam Altschuler for many years and will travel with him to Australia.
Currently ranked No. 177, Mattek-Sands has yet to decide which other tournaments she will use for her protected ranking in 2015, but she will definitely play Brisbane, the Aussie Open, Acapulco, Miami, and Roland Garros.