- Kimberly Birrell booked her spot in the second qualifying round on Tuesday
- She beat Japanese star Sara Saito in straight sets at Melbourne Park.
- Birrell entered the WTA Tour’s top 100 rankings for the first time last week.
Australian star Kimberly Birrell insists she is ready to “fight” to secure a place at the Australian Open next week after advancing to the second round of the women’s singles qualifying.
It’s already been a brilliant summer for the 26-year-old Gold Coast star after he battled his way to the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International last week but painfully missed out on a place in the semi-finals, suffering a defeat to Anhelina. Kalinina.
Her brilliant performance in Brisbane also saw her rise within the WTA Tour top 100 rankings for the first time in her career.
Despite achieving the major milestone, Birrell’s attention quickly turned to qualifying for the Australian Open, with the Aussie star sealing a first-round victory against Sara Saito at the Kia Arena on Tuesday.
The Gold Coast star showed off her power by landing big groundstrokes on her Japanese opponent to secure a 7-6 6-2 victory.
Saito had started better in the first set, breaking his opponent’s serve to go 2-0 up, before Birrell instantly responded with a break of his own, before outscoring his opponent, winning the resulting first set tiebreak 7- 4.
Kimberly Birrell insisted she was ready to “fight for every point” to qualify for the Australian Open this summer.
On Tuesday she beat Japanese star Sara Saito in straight sets during the first round of women’s singles qualifying.
“He got off to a great start and yeah, I was happy that I was able to fight the momentum in the first set and keep it going for the second,” Birrell said after the match.
The 26-year-old turned on the afterburner in the second set, almost achieving a crucial break point at 2-2, but a resilient Saito, who is ranked 158th on the WTA Tour, sensationally saved four break points after having gone 40. -love down.
On his next opportunity, Birrel hit back to finally break his opponent, this time winning the crucial game before sealing a 6-2 victory and the match.
“I’m just enjoying every moment of playing here, taking it one moment, one game at a time,” Birrell said.
‘But I’m very happy with how I started my year, last week in Brissy. “It’s just as fun to play here and yes, I hope to play more games.”
Birrell is looking to qualify for her sixth Australian Open this week, with her highest placing at her home Slam coming in 2019, where she was eliminated in the third round of the women’s singles by Angelique Kerber.
Birrell’s journey to this year’s Australian Open is inspiring, as the 26-year-old suffered a troublesome elbow injury during her career.
She was sidelined by the injury for almost a year following the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, and returned competitively at the Yarra Valley Classic in 2021.
Birrell has already enjoyed a great summer, dazzling at the Brisbane International to break into the top 100 WTA players.
He would later participate in the Australian Open, before taking a break from tennis again and returning to the court in January 2022.
Last week he revealed that there were “periods where I didn’t know if I was going to get back on the court, let alone at the level I played at today.”
And as she savors every opportunity she gets to play at the Australian Open, Birrell insisted she was ready to fight for every point at Melbourne Park.
“It’s just as fun to play here and yes, I hope to play more games,” he said.
‘It’s so special. It’s the best time of year to be Australian.
“Playing in the Grand Slam is the pinnacle of our sport. I will fight for every point and hope to be in the main draw next week.”