- Kimberly Birrell booked her place in the second round of qualifying on Tuesday
- She beat Japanese star Sara Saito in straight sets at Melbourne Park
- Birrell moved into the WTA Tour’s top-100 rankings for the first time last week
Aussie star Kimberly Birrell insists she is ready to ‘fight’ to secure a spot in the Australian Open next week after advancing to the second round of the women’s singles qualifying.
It’s been a brilliant summer already for the 26-year-old star from the Gold Coast after she stormed her way to the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International last week but agonisingly missed out on a berth in the semis, suffering a defeat to Anhelina Kalinina.
Her brilliant performance in Brisbane also saw her climb inside the top 100 WTA Tour rankings for the first time in her career.
Despite achieving the huge milestone, Birrell’s attention has quickly turned to qualifying for the Australian Open, with the Aussie star on Tuesday sealing a first-round victory against Sara Saito at the Kia Arena.
The Gold Coast star showcased her power thumping some huge ground strokes past her Japanese opponent to secure a 7-6 6-2 victory.
Saito had started better in the first set, breaking her opponent to go 2-0 up, before Birrell instantly responded hitting back with a break of her own, before she would edge her opponent, winning a 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 qualifying for the women’s singles
‘She had a really great start and yeah, I was happy I was able to wrestle momentum in the first set and keep it for the second,’ Birrell said after the match.
The 26-year-old put the afterburners on in the second set, almost claiming a crucial break point at 2-2, but a resilient Saito, who is ranked No 158 on the WTA Tour, sensationally saved four break points after having gone 40-love down.
At her next opportunity, Birrel hit back to finally break her opponent, this time winning the crucial game before sealing a 6-2 victory, and the match.
‘I’m just enjoying every moment of playing out here, taking it one moment, one match at a time,’ Birrell said.
‘But I’m really happy with how I started my year, last week in Brissy. ‘Equally as fun is playing out here and yeah, hopefully I can play more matches.’
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 knocked out in the third round of the women’s singles by Angelique Kerber.
Birrell’s journey to this year’s Australian Open is an inspiring one, with the 26-year-old having been plagued by a troublesome elbow injury during her career.
She was sidelined by the injury for nearly a year after the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, making her competitive return at the Yarra Valley Classic in 2021.
Birrell has enjoyed a great summer already, dazzling at the Brisbane International to move inside the WTA’s top 100 players
She would later feature at the Australian Open, before again taking a break from tennis, returning to the court in January 2022.
Last week she had revealed there were ‘periods where I didn’t know if I was going to get back on court, let alone at the level I played today’.
And while she is savouring every chance she gets to play at the Australian Open, Birrell insisted she was ready to fight for every point at Melbourne Park.
‘Equally as fun is playing out here and yeah, hopefully, I can play more matches,’ she said.
‘It’s so special. It’s the best time of the year to be an Aussie.
‘It’s the pinnacle of our sport to play in the Grand Slam. I’m going to fight for every point and hope that I can be in the main draw next week.’
