While forced to reach the Australian Open through the qualifiers last year despite being the country’s top-ranked woman, Birrell will now be joined by a host of compatriots who enter the grand slam on the back of career-best years.
Teenage tearaway Maya Joint, currently with the Australian United Cup team, began last year outside the world’s top 100, and is now currently a grand slam seeding hope at No.32 having claimed a maiden pair of WTA titles.
Emerson Jones has shown the makings of a future star at just 17, while Daria Kasatkina (world No.40) and Ajla Tomljanovic (No.78) are genuine dark horses to shock some of the best at the Australian Open.
Since Barty’s retirement after winning the 2022 showcase, only Tomljanovic has reached a grand slam’s second week (Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022).
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However, Birrell sensed that the narrative would soon be rewritten.
“I feel really excited to be part of the Aussie female contingent. I think there’s some really great young talented players coming through … it’s really cool we have that depth at the moment,” Birrell said.
“Last year I was very proud to be the first-ranked Aussie, but I knew there were reasons why some of the girls weren’t inside the top 100 due to injury and things like that.
“It’s an individual sport, but I like to see us as a bit of a team – especially with how much we travel throughout the year we do lean on each other.
“I’m excited to see what everyone can do.”
In last year’s Brisbane International, Birrell exhibited giant-killing tendencies – knocking off former world No.8 Emma Navarro (currently No.15) and Anastasia Potapova (formerly No.21).
Those same fighting traits were on show against Sramkova, saving five break points as her first serve strength came to the fore – serving at 80 per cent.
“I’ve been working on my serve quite a bit for the past month or so. I think it started towards the end of last year, and I had a little bit of a moment where I was getting quite frustrated with my serve,” Birrell said.
“At this level, the margins are so small, and I felt like that was the area I really needed to improve. A lot of it is mental for me, I’ve had some elbow problems, so it was just letting go and letting my arm go, using my legs and really going for it and believing in it.”
