MELBOURNE, Australia — Jennifer Elie had worked a long time to earn a spot at a Grand Slam event, so when there was even a glimmer of hope, she didn’t hesitate.
When the entry list for this week’s Australian Open qualifying tournament was released in December, Elie, 30, was ranked 239th, which left her 25 spots out. The Brooklyn-born Elie got into the 2015 United States Open as a wild card but had never earned direct entry into qualifying at a Grand Slam event because of her ranking, which had lingered outside the top 300 for her entire career.