Unlike some of her Australian tennis peers like Sarah Tomic � who received wildcards into the Australian Open � Hives needed to earn one of only eight qualifying spots in the tournament.

The 15-year-old earned her place in the draw of 64 after playing and winning three qualifying matches � all three-setters � on January 12 and 13.

She then faced her first round opponent, Italy's Camilla Rosatello, on Sunday, January 15.

Hives overcame nerves, heat and symptoms of a cold to valiantly go down to the 17-year-old Italian 5-7 in the third set.

"I would have liked to have won, but I played fairly well so it wasn't too much of a disappointment," she said.

"It was a bit different because it was a bit more serious than the matches I've played so far.

"I will try and get into the tournament again next year."

In the meantime, the teenager flew to New Zealand this week to compete in two junior International Tennis Foundation tournaments before starting Year 10 at Mt Clear College next week.

She said this year she would focus on training in six-week blocks, followed by ITF tournaments, to build up both her fitness and ranking.

On October 3 last year, Hives became a national champion when she won the U14 Girls Singles title in Sydney, defeating Bernard Tomic's sister Sarah in the final.

Following her win her Ballarat-based coach, Peter Joyce, said not many regional-based players had won a tournament of that calibre and it was a great credit to Zoe and her work ethic.