"Hard pill to swallow": Aussie No.1 Kimberly Birrell left in tears as late match change turns from dream to nightmare

Tuesday, 14 January 2025 at 20:56

A top 15 seed and a vulnerable one at that on a main show court, it had all the makings for Aussie No.1, Kimberly Birrell of being a night to remember against Anna Kalinskaya but what turned out to be a dream was in fact a bit of a nightmare.

Birrell was left out of the tournament and in tears as instead of Kalinskaya who withdrew late, it was in fact Eva Lys with the rising German star taking her chance.

As Matteo Berrettini wrapped up a four set win, Birrell found out that she was no longer playing Kalinskaya and as a result the weight of expectation soared.

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She was blown away in 70 minutes and left in tears in the press conference as she could only muster four winners and 10 points won in a 6-2, 6-2 loss. Also this after having to qualify for the tournament in the first place so having to seal multiple wins. The draw opened up for Birrell but it now does for Lys instead.

“I’m an emotional person. I’m human. I put a lot of hard work and effort into this sport, and then to obviously also play some really good matches and then have a day like today is a hard pill to swallow,” Birrell said as she shed tears.

“It happens. Like I said, I definitely don’t want this to be the memory that I take from this AO swing. I want to remember the good matches and amazing times I’ve had with my family and with the crowd.

After expecting to play Kalinskaya, it was in fact the rising German Eva Lys who stood in her way.

“Then I’ve got doubles coming up, so obviously I’m going to get all of this out and feel the disappointment, and then I will pick myself back up and go again.”

“I had prepared to play Anna. She’s a really amazing player. I knew that I was in for a battle against her, and I had done my research and spoke a lot with my team,” Birrell added.

“Unfortunately, that isn’t who I faced today. Then to find out that she withdrew and that I was playing someone completely different, it did rattle me, unfortunately. But, in saying that, she was in the same position as me. She didn’t know that she was going to be playing, so we were both put in pretty tough situations.

“I take responsibility for not handling that, and credit to her. I think Eva played really well. She came out swinging. I didn’t have my best day.”

“It felt like it just got away from me. You know, beforehand I think my nerves elevated quite a bit. Then when you’ve got the nerves going, your tendency is to do the opposite of what you need to, and you just sort of rush,” Birrell said.

“It is one of those tough situations and something that I can definitely learn from.”

#13 seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from the #AusOpen last minute.

Replaced by lucky loser Eva Lys, already on court.

Kalinskaya was defending QFs and will drop in the rankings.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 14, 2025

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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