After playing a season of cricket last summer, Barty has returned to tennis in recent months and enjoyed success on the grass of Eastbourne in England in May, reaching the semi-finals.

The three-time doubles Grand Slam runner-up will be one of the favourites alongside Japanese top seed Risa Ozaki, who returns to Bendigo after reaching the final of both Bendigo Pro Tour events in 2014.

Second seed Asia Muhammad (USA), fresh from a doubles quarter-final berth at the US Open, will hope to go one better than her semi-final loss to 2015 Bendigo International Pro Tour champ Misa Eguchi.

Arina Rodionova (186 in the world) will be the highest-ranked Australian in the field. Qualifying for the Bendigo International starts this Sunday, with the main draw to start next Tuesday.