Samantha Stosur's decorated doubles career is almost over following a first-round exit from the Australian Open with Frenchwoman Alize Cornet.

The retiring great and Cornet lost 6-3 6-4 to the Chinese-Taiwanese pairing of Zhaoxuan Yang and Hao-Ching Chan on Thursday.

Stosur, who is quitting professional tennis after the Open, remains alive in the mixed doubles with fellow Australian Matt Ebden.

But the 38-year-old won't be adding a fifth grand slam women's crown to her collection after making the call to walk away from the touring life to spend more time with her family and two-year-old daughter Evie.

"I still love competing. I love playing in front of you guys," Stosur told fans on Kia Arena.

"A crowd like this makes it feel strange that you don't want to do it any more but you get to a point where the other things become a little more difficult and I have loved my run, travelling, playing, doing everything I've been able to do.

"I wanted to finish here at home. I wanted to finish in Melbourne. And this year was it. So, yeah, it's bittersweet, but thank you all for coming out here. It's been really special."

Stosur won the Australian Open women's doubles in 2019 with Zhang Shaui, as well as the mixed title at Melbourne Park way back in 2005 with countryman Scott Draper.

The 2011 US Open singles champion also claimed grand slam women's doubles titles at the 2006 French Open and at Flushing Meadows in 2005 and 2021 and spent 61 weeks atop the doubles rankings during her career.