Kimberly Birrell (born 29 April 1998) is an Australian professional tennis player. Birrell reached a career-high WTA ranking of 100 on 18 September 2023.[1] She has won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit.
Birrell was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 29 April 1998 to Australian parents. Her father, John, was working as a tennis coach in Germany at the time of her birth and shortly after relocated his family to Wodonga, Victoria. The family then settled on the Gold Coast, Queensland when Birrell was three years of age as her father took up a role as the head coach of Pat Cash's Tennis Academy.[2][3] She began playing tennis at the age of four and switched training bases to the Queens Park Tennis Centre in 2008 when her father began managing the club.[4] Queens Park had previously produced top 20 tennis players such as Bernard Tomic and Samantha Stosur,[5] the latter of whom would train with Birrell when visiting the club.[6] Birrell attended Coomera Anglican College during her schooling years and graduated in 2015.[7]
Junior career
Birrell began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit under-18 events in July 2011 as a 13-year-old. She reached her first junior final a year later in Sydney and came out victorious over Pamela Boyanov in three sets. Following a strong 2012 season, she made her junior Grand Slam debut at the 2013 Australian Open at 14 years of age and was beaten by Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in straight sets. She continued to improve her junior ranking throughout 2013 by reaching two finals.[8]
She entered the 2014 Australian Open unseeded and caused several upsets on her way to the semifinals.[9] In the semifinals, she was defeated by Croatian player Jana Fett. She went on to compete in all the remaining majors throughout 2014 and reached her highest junior ranking of 18 in the world. Birrell competed in three junior Grand Slam events in 2015 but mostly focused on the women's tour.
Professional career
Birrell competed in her first professional event at the Bendigo Tennis Centre in October 2012 at the age of 14. She gained her first professional ranking point a year later with a straight sets win over Elizabeth James after receiving a wildcard into the main draw of a tournament held in her home state of Queensland. She finished 2013 with a professional singles ranking of 847.[8]
In November, Birrell was given wildcards to the two Bendigo International tournaments. In her debut at a $50k event, she defeated world No. 351, Veronika Kapshay, in straight sets.[11]
In March, Birrell qualified for and made the first ITF Circuit final of her career in Mildura, but lost to compatriot Alison Bai, in straight sets. Birrell didn't play between April–September, but returned to Australia to play in Tweed Heads, Cairns, Toowoomba, Brisbane, and Canberra. Her best results were a final in Brisbane and a semifinal in Canberra.
She finished the year with a ranking of No. 361.
2016: Major & WTA Tour singles debut & first final in doubles
Birrell made her WTA Tour debut after being awarded a wildcard into the main draw at the Hobart International. She won 6–4, 6–3 against world No. 57, Danka Kovinić from Montenegro.[13] She lost in round two to Dominika Cibulková. In the same tournament, she partnered Jarmila Wolfe in the doubles where they made the final.
Birrell was awarded a wildcard into the Australian Open[14] but she lost in round one to ninth seed Karolína Plíšková, 4–6, 4–6. In February, Birrell made her Fed Cup debut against Dominika Cibulková, she lost 3–6, 1–6. Shortly after, she suffered a right elbow injury, sidelining her for the rest of the year.[15]
Birrell ended 2016 with a ranking of No. 584.
2017: First ITF Circuit singles title
Birrell and her doubles partner, Priscilla Hon, were given a wildcard into the Australian Open, losing in the first round to Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai. Six months later, Birrell and doubles partner Caroline Dolehide made the final of the ITF tournament in Winnipeg, Canada, losing to Hiroko Kuwata and Valeria Savinykh in two sets (a win would have marked Birrell's best win at an ITF tournament to date). The next week, in Gatineau, Birrell and her new doubles partner, Emily Webley-Smith of Great Britain, lost in the final to the same duo - Kuwata and Savinykh - in a third-set tiebreak. Birrell came back at the end of September with a run to the final in the Penrith International, losing to Olivia Rogowska[16] in two sets. The following week in Brisbane, Birrell won her first ITF singles title by beating American Asia Muhammad in a tight three-setter.[17]
2018: Top 300 debut
Birrell lost in the first round of qualifying in Brisbane, Sydney and the Melbourne. In August, she qualified for and reached her first quarterfinal of the year at the Landisville Tennis Challenge. In September, Kimberly reached the quarterfinals of the Cairns Tennis International before winning her second career ITF singles title in Darwin, where she also reached the final of the doubles. In December 2018, she won the Australian Open Wildcard Playoffs.
She ended 2018 with a singles ranking of No. 285.
2019: Australian Open third round, first top-10 win, elbow injury and hiatus
At the 2019 Australian Open,[19] Birrell had defeated Paula Badosa in round one,[20] earning her first Grand Slam main-draw win before upsetting the 29th seed Donna Vekić, in the second round. She lost her third-round match against three time major champion and second seed, Angelique Kerber, in straight sets.
In February, Birrell reached the second round of the Launceston International, before returning to the Australian Fed Cup team. She played Madison Keys in the first round of the 2019 Fed Cup World Group and lost the match, but Australia won the tie. In April, she reached the quarterfinals of the Hardee's Pro Classic in Alabama.
Birrell lost in the first round of qualifying in the 2019 French Open and Wimbledon. Wimbledon was her last competitive match for over a year due to an elbow injury.[21]
2021: Comeback, loss of form and second hiatus
Birrell played her first competitive match in 18 months at the Yarra Valley Classic[22] where she lost in round one. She was given a wildcard into the Australian Open where she lost in round one to Rebecca Marino. In February 2021, she made the third round of the Phillip Island Trophy.[23] It would be her final tournament for the year.
Birrell ended the season with a singles ranking of No. 740.
2023: First WTA singles quarterfinal & doubles final, WTA 1000 debut, top 100, Australian No. 1
Birrell at the Madrid Open in 2023
At the Australian Open, she received a wildcard into the main draw, after Venus Williams' withdrawal, and defeated 31st seed Kaia Kanepi in a three-set match lasting two hours and 32 minutes.[27] It was her first Grand Slam main draw win in four years, the third top-30 career win and the fourth top-50 one.[28] She reached a new career-high ranking of 136 on 13 February 2023, following her fourth ITF title.[29]
At the Mérida Open, she reached her first quarterfinal as a qualifier (lost to Caty McNally),[30] and a new career-high of 116 on 27 February 2023.[31] At the Monterrey Open, she made her second WTA Tour doubles final, partnering local favorite Fernanda Contreras Gómez after receiving a wildcard.[32] She made her WTA 1000 debut in Indian Wells as a qualifier.
She made her debut at the French Open as a wildcard. She also made her US Open debut as a lucky loser. As a result, and also following reaching the semifinals at a $100k event in Tokyo, she reached the top 100 on 18 September 2023.[33]
National representation
Fed Cup
Birrell made her debut for the Australia Fed Cup team in February 2016 against Slovakia at the age of 17.[34] She was selected to compete against Dominika Cibulková in the fourth rubber of the tie and was defeated 6–3, 6–1.
Performance timelines
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
P#
DNQ
A
Z#
PO
G
S
B
NMS
NTI
P
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
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