On The Sit-Down podcast, Kimberly Birrell revealed she most likely wouldn’t have believed it if somebody advised her she would in the future turn into the top-ranked Australian lady.
Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 25 February 2025 | Matt Trollope
Kimberly Birrell’s unbelievable type initially of 2025 has seen her attain tour-level milestones and a career-high rating.
The Queenslander has gained 13 of the 16 matches she’s performed this season, peaking at world No.75 on 10 February.
At the moment ranked 76th, she’s the highest-ranked Australian lady within the WTA standings, and stated on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast that she will be able to’t fairly consider it.
“Actually it doesn’t change an excessive amount of for me, but it surely’s been cool to I suppose be reminded of it in a couple of interviews and take a minute to simply admire the place I’m at,” Birrell stated.
“As a result of as a child, in the event you had have stated that I might be ranked the best in Australia, I simply most likely wouldn’t have believed it or I simply would have been so amazed.
“Clearly there’s been fairly a couple of accidents inside our feminine cohort inside Australia, so I’m not evaluating myself to the opposite women. And I do know that Dasha [Saville] and Ajla [Tomljanovic], once they’re again taking part in at their finest, they’re gonna be ranked properly inside the highest 100.
“So yeah, not pondering an excessive amount of about it, however on the similar time it’s actually particular.”
Aussie camaraderie, how good 💚💛
The Sit-Down with @kimbirrell98 🎧 https://t.co/sxtzlxGsGi pic.twitter.com/Rl1ZV1u1aw
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 24, 2025
It’s solely February, however already Birrell has reached the quarterfinal stage at two WTA tournaments this yr. The 26-year-old managed the identical quantity in 2023 and 2024, but it surely took her till October each instances to notch her second.
The largest of these was at this yr’s Brisbane Worldwide, the primary time she has progressed to a tour-level quarterfinal above WTA 250 degree.
She got here inside some extent of the semifinals, and that, coupled together with her profitable run by way of the qualifying rounds at AO 2025, vaulted her inside the highest 100.
Then got here one other WTA quarterfinal in Singapore, earlier than she returned dwelling and gained the Professional Tour occasion in Brisbane – an ITF75 degree occasion at which she dropped just one set in 5 victories.
That title boosted her inside the highest 75 and improved her 2025 win-loss report to 13-3.
Due to her type, and her place as Aussie girls’s No.1, she was named as the primary member of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup group, which can tackle Kazakhstan and Colombia at Pat Rafter Enviornment in April.
MORE: Birrell to steer Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup group in Brisbane qualifier
Birrell stated on The Sit-Down that she was thrilled to symbolize Australia for the primary time on dwelling soil.
“I’ve represented Australia in BJK Cup a couple of instances now, and I simply have the very best time each single time, and it’s such an honour to symbolize Australia and to put on the inexperienced and gold,” stated Birrell, who’s competing at this week’s WTA event in Austin, Texas.
“I haven’t had the prospect to play a tie, be part of a tie in Australia – I did go to the one in Perth [the 2019 final] however I wasn’t a named member of the group. So to have the ability to do this in April, after which to have it in Brissy, in what’s mainly my dwelling city, might be completely superb, and I can’t wait.
“I feel I can converse for all the women that I hope we will play and convey some actually good tennis and hold doing what we do on court docket and make everybody proud.”
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