27-year-old players, including Kim Birrell from the Gold Coast, who recently made her grand slam debut at that great stage, the Wimbledon Championships. Sadly, her first trip to the Slams ended in a first-round exit. Birrell opened the softball competition in front of those famous blue skies of London. She was the first of seven Australians to make their entrance on court in the women’s singles draw.
Birrell had the task of taking on Croatia’s No. 22 seed, Donna Vekic. The 79-minute contest started with Birrell unable to find her flow. She lost the first set to Vekic without winning an individual game, finishing 6-0. Though it was a rough go in the beginning, Birrell battled back and played much better to force a second set tiebreak.
As the second set progressed, Birrell battled fiercely, demonstrating her determination on the court. She was able to get through the long rally to play a more aggressive point, but Vekic was not going away easily. The Croatian player took control late in the decisive match. He finished taking the very last two points of that second set, finishing that second set off 6-4.
Birrell was scheduled to appear on Monday regardless. This was an important career milestone for her as she played on the iconic grass courts of Wimbledon for the very first time. She didn’t end up getting the goal she was hoping for, but she had a significantly improved second half showing. This is a significant step forward with big implications for exciting future tournaments.
