Kimberly Birrell
Birrell at the 2023 US Open
Country (sports) Australia
ResidenceGold Coast, Australia
Born (1998-04-29) 29 April 1998
Düsseldorf, Germany
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro2014
PlaysRight (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$ 949,752
Singles
Career record175–151 (53.7%)
Career titles5 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 100 (18 September 2023)
Current rankingNo. 110 (27 November 2023)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2019)
French Open1R (2023)
WimbledonQ1 (2019, 2023)
US Open1R (2023)
Doubles
Career record55–65 (45.8%)
Career titles1 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 209 (6 March 2023)
Current rankingNo. 238 (27 November 2023)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2022, 2024)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (2023)
Last updated on: 27 November 2023.

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.

Personal life

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]

2014: Doubles debut on WTA Tour

Birrell in 2014

Birrell was awarded a wildcard into the doubles main draw of the Hobart International with compatriot Olivia Tjandramulia,[10] where they lost in the first round to second seeds Lisa Raymond and Zhang Shuai.

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]

2015: Grand Slam doubles debut

Birrell in 2015

In 2015, Birrell was awarded a qualifying wildcard into the Hobart International, but lost to Vitalia Diatchenko in straight sets. She was then given a wildcard for the Australian Open qualifying where she fell to Kateryna Bondarenko, in three sets. She also made her major main-draw debut, after getting one of seven team wildcards in women's doubles, alongside Priscilla Hon, but lost to the fifth seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.[12]

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 was awarded a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the Brisbane International, but lost to eventual main-draw semifinalist Samantha Crawford.

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

Birrell commenced 2019 with a wildcard into the Brisbane International, where she claimed her first top 10 win over Daria Kasatkina.[18]

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 quarterfinal 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 Birrell's 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.

2022: Comeback

In January 2022, she played her first match in eleven months, at the Melbourne Summer Set 1, where she defeated Martina Trevisan in the first round of qualifying[24] before losing to Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove in the final qualifying round.

Birrell then made the third and final round of the 2022 Australian Open – Women's singles qualifying.[25][26]

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 No. 136 on 13 February 2023, following her fourth ITF title.[29]

At the Mérida Open, she reached her first quarterfinal as a qualifier but lost to Caty McNally.[30] She reached a new career high ranking of No. 116 on 27 February 2023.[31] At the Monterrey Open, she reached 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 2023 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 an ITF W100 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.

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, Hopman Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.

Singles

Current through the 2023 Jiangxi Open.

Tournament 20152016201720182019 20202021 2022 2023 SRW–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open Q1 1R A Q1 3R A 1R Q3 2R 0 / 4 3–4 43%
French Open A A A A Q1 A A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Wimbledon A A A A Q1 NH A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
US Open A A A A A A A Q2 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–3 0 / 6 3–6 33%
National representation
Billie Jean King Cup[lower-alpha 1] A PO A A F A[lower-alpha 2] A RR 0 / 2 0–3 0%
WTA 1000
Indian Wells Open A A A A A NH A A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Miami Open A A A A A NH A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Madrid Open A A A A A NH A A Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Italian Open A A A A A NH A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Canadian Open A A A A A NH A Q1 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Cincinnati Open A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Guadalajara Open NH A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Wuhan Open A A A A A NH 0 / 0 0–0  – 
China Open A A A A A NH Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 0 / 2 0–2 0%
Career statistics
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L Win%
Tournaments 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 1 10 Career total: 18
Titles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career total: 0
Finals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career total: 0
Overall win–loss 0–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 3–3 0–0 2–3 1–1 8–10 0 / 18 15–20 43%
Year-end ranking[lower-alpha 3] 361 506 356 285 245 735 734 167 113 $947,267

Doubles

Current through the 2023 US Open.

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R A 1R 2R A 0 / 7 1–7 13%
French Open A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Wimbledon A A A A A A NH A A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
US Open A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 0 / 7 1–7 13%
Career statistics
Tournaments 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 2 2 Career total: 12
Titles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career total: 0
Finals 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Career total: 2
Overall win–loss 0–1 0–1 3–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 2–2 3–2 0 / 12 8–12 40%
Year-end ranking[lower-alpha 4] n/a 606 284 332 546 548 612 803 251 233

WTA Tour finals

Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Legend
Grand Slam
WTA 1000
WTA 500
WTA 250 (0–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 2016 Hobart International, Australia International[lower-alpha 5] Hard Australia Jarmila Wolfe China Han Xinyun
United States Christina McHale		 3–6, 0–6
Loss 0–2 Mar 2023 Monterrey Open, Mexico WTA 250 Hard Mexico Fernanda Contreras Gómez Colombia Yuliana Lizarazo
Colombia María Paulina Pérez García		 3–6, 7–5, [5–10]

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 10 (5 titles, 5 runner–ups)

Legend
$60,000 tournaments (3–0)
$25,000 tournaments (2–4)
$15,000 tournaments (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (4–4)
Grass (0–1)
Carpet (1–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Mar 2015 ITF Mildura, Australia 15,000 Grass Australia Alison Bai 3–6, 3–6
Loss 0–2 Oct 2015 ITF Brisbane, Australia 25,000 Hard Australia Priscilla Hon 4–6, 3–6
Loss 0–3 Sep 2017 ITF Penrith, Australia 25,000 Hard Australia Olivia Rogowska 2–6, 4–6
Win 1–3 Oct 2017 ITF Brisbane, Australia 25,000 Hard United States Asia Muhammad 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win 2–3 Sep 2018 Darwin International, Australia 60,000 Hard Australia Ellen Perez 6–3, 6–3
Loss 2–4 Jul 2022 ITF Figueira da Foz, Portugal 25,000+H Hard United States Jamie Loeb 5–7, 4–6
Loss 2–5 Oct 2022 ITF Cairns, Australia 25,000 Hard Australia Priscilla Hon 6–4, 6–7(6), 4–6
Win 3–5 Oct 2022 Playford International, Australia 60,000 Hard Australia Maddison Inglis 3–6, 7–5, 6–4
Win 4–5 Feb 2023 ITF Orlando Pro, United States 60,000 Hard Sweden Rebecca Peterson 6–3, 6–0
Win 5–5 Jul 2023 ITF Cantanhede, Portugal 25,000 Carpet Australia Arina Rodionova 4–6, 6–3, 6–1

Doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runner–ups)

Legend
$60,000 tournaments (0–1)
$25,000 tournaments (0–3)
$10,000 tournaments (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–4)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Sep 2015 ITF Tweed Heads, Australia 10,000 Hard Australia Tammi Patterson Hungary Dalma Gálfi
Australia Priscilla Hon		 6–7(3), 6–3, [10–8]
Loss 1–1 Jul 2017 Winnipeg Challenger, Canada 25,000 Hard United States Caroline Dolehide Japan Hiroko Kuwata
Russia Valeria Savinykh		 4–6, 6–7(4)
Loss 1–2 Jul 2017 Challenger de Gatineau, Canada 25,000 Hard United Kingdom Emily Webley-Smith Japan Hiroko Kuwata
Russia Valeria Savinykh		 6–4, 3–6, [5–10]
Loss 1–3 Sep 2018 Darwin International, Australia 60,000 Hard United Kingdom Katy Dunne Japan Hiroko Kuwata
India Rutuja Bhosale		 2–6, 4–6
Loss 1–4 May 2022 ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom 25,000 Hard Australia Alexandra Osborne United Kingdom Naiktha Bains
United Kingdom Maia Lumsden		 6–3, 6–7(6), [9–11]

Head-to-head statistics

Wins over top 10 players

# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score KBR
2019
1. Russia Daria Kasatkina No. 10 Brisbane International, Australia Hard 1R 5–7, 6–4, 7–6(3) No. 283

Notes

  1. ↑ Formerly known as Fed Cup until 2020.
  2. ↑ Edition is split into the two years due to COVID-19.
  3. ↑ 2013: WTA ranking–818, 2014: WTA ranking–n/a.
  4. ↑ 2013: WTA ranking–1236.
  5. ↑ The WTA International tournaments were reclassified as WTA 250 tournaments in 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Kimberly Birrell - Tennis Explorer". www.tennisexplorer.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "My Coach – March 2015 issue by Tennis Australia - Issuu".
  3. ↑ Campbell, Millie (28 June 2017). "The beauty of Birrell". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Fraser, Andrew (17 September 2011). "Advantage tennis – it's a hotbed of talent on the Gold Coast". The Australian. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Potts, Andrew (6 November 2016). "Gold Coast history: Queens Park Tennis Club". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  6. ↑ Walton, Darren (17 January 2019). "Birrell primed for showdown with Kerber". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  7. ↑ Gold Coast’s Kimberly Birrell named junior female tennis athlete of year
  8. 1 2 https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/kimberly-birrell/800325685/aus/wt/s/overview/
  9. ↑ "Southport tennis star Kimberly Birrell aims for finals". Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Daily preview: Aussies aim to continue winning streak on day three". Hobart International. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  11. ↑ Packman, David (6 November 2014). "Birrell breakthrough in Bendigo". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Australian Open: Kimberly Birrell leads girls' charge". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "BIRRELL SECURES FIRST WTA WIN IN HOBART". www.tennis.com.au. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "BIRRELL AMONG LAST AUSSIE WILDCARDS FOR OPEN". www.tennis.com.au. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Gold Coast tennis ace Kimberly Birrell hopes to play Australian Open after recovering from elbow surgery". Gold Coast Bulletin. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  16. ↑ "Rogowska finishes strongly in Penrith". www.tennis.com/au. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  17. ↑ "Birrell wins maiden title in Brisbane". www.tennis.com/au. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  18. ↑ "BIRRELL, AIAVA SCORE STUNNING WINS IN BRISBANE". Tennis Australia. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  19. ↑ "Kimberly Birrell [AUS] | AO". ausopen.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "SHARMA, HIVES, BIRRELL OPEN WITH AO VICTORIES". Tennis Australia. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  21. ↑ "Kimberly Birrell Learning to Overcome Setbacks". 31 May 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Kimberly Birrell live scores, results, fixtures | Flashscore.com.ng / Tennis". www.flashscore.com.ng. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "Winning Runs Over for Aussies at Melbourne Summer Series". Tennis Australia. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  24. ↑ "BIRRELL MAKES WINNING RETURN AT MELBOURNE SUMMER SET". Tennis Australia. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  25. ↑ "Australian Open 2022: 14 Aussie Women Set for Qualifying". Tennis Australia. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  26. ↑ "Eight Aussies Ready to Continue Australian Open 2022 Qualifying Quests". Tennis Australia. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  27. ↑ "Aussie wildcard Birrell defies rankings to down Kanepi". ausopen.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  28. ↑ "Aussie Open Day 2 by the numbers: Cancelled matches, Birrell's upset and more".
  29. ↑ "Ranking movers: Birrell soars after title-winning run".
  30. ↑ "Mérida Open: American McNally books spot in semi-finals". 24 February 2023.
  31. ↑ "Ranking movers: Birrell, Purcell skyrocket into world's top 120".
  32. ↑ "Birrell advances to first WTA doubles final in seven years".
  33. ↑ "Rankings Watch: Siniakova returns to doubles No.1; Kenin up 40 spots".
  34. ↑ "Sam Stosur guides Australia to Fed Cup win over Slovakia". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2016.
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