Brisbane:
Australian Kimberly Birrell, with wild card, surprised second seed Emma Navarro on Wednesday, while the doubles competition between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios was halted at the Brisbane International Championship.
But all the smiles were on the faces of defending men’s champion Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced to the quarter-finals in straight sets.
In the opening match at Pat Rafter Arena, Birrell leveled world number eight Navarro stroke by stroke to make an impact in the American’s preparations for the Australian Open.
Navarro had a stellar 2024, going deep in all four Grand Slams including reaching the semifinals of the US Open.
She was expected to overcome the challenge faced by the 26-year-old Birrell, who has never entered the top 100 during her 10 years on the WTA Tour.
But the Australian, who trains at the Queensland Tennis Center and is ranked 113th, was undaunted and delighted her home crowd with a calm display.
Birrell, who will face 35th-seeded Russian Anastasia Potapova in the round of 16, said she has accepted the role of the underdog.
“I think it’s like one of those situations where you don’t have a choice, you just have to do it,” she said.
“That was the attitude I had today – I think that really benefited me, along with playing long hours on this field here.”
Dimitrov continued his love affair with Brisbane by defeating Australian Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).
The Bulgarian player, ranked tenth in the world, prevailed in the first set and then overcame Vukic, raising the Australian player’s level in the second set.
“I’m starting to find my style, but I think there’s still a lot to do,” said Dimitrov, who won the tournament twice and finished second once.
“So I hope that every game I can build more and play better and better.”
He will play with Australian Jordan Thompson or American Alex Michelson for a place in the semi-finals.
Djokovic and Kyrgios cooperated in a rare doubles appearance this week, but after winning a close first round, the top seeds Michael Venus from New Zealand and Croatian Nikola Mektic stopped them 6-2, 3-6, 10/8.