Aussie Birrell saves match point, advances to US Open second round
Gritty Kim Birrell has overcome a match point and a restless night's sleep to break her first-round jinx with a maiden US Open victory in New York.
Kim Birrell, an Australian tennis player, has overcome a rain delay and saved match point, advancing to the second round of the US Open. At the US Open, Birrell defeated Petra Marcinko, marking her first win at the tournament in her fourth appearance. Four other Australians are also set to compete in the second round, including Alexei Popyrin, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, and Maya Joint.
Birrell had suffered a defeat in straight sets to Marcinko at Eastbourne two months prior, having lost the first set 6-0. After overcoming the rain delay, Birrell stepped onto the court and broke the jinx, winning 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Birrell's victory secures her a match against world No.19 Ekaterina Alexandrova, with a guaranteed $US190,000 payday or more if she wins again on Wednesday.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Sabalenka begins US Open defence, men's draw blown open with second big exit abc.net.au
- Gutsy Birrell breaks new ground at US Open as day two starts well for Australia theage.com.au
- Gutsy Birrell breaks new ground at US Open as day two starts well for Australia smh.com.au
- Alcaraz makes confident return with US Open first round win channelnewsasia.com
