Kimberly Birrell Triumphs Over Potapova in Brisbane, Advances to First WTA 500 Quarterfinal

Brisbane, Jan 2 (NationPress) Kimberly Birrell’s incredible journey at the Brisbane International continues as she made her way into her first WTA 500 quarterfinal after overcoming world No. 35 Anastasia Potapova with a score of 7-6(2) 6-2.

This triumph adds to a dazzling start to 2025 for the 26-year-old, who earlier defeated world No. 8 Emma Navarro on Wednesday, marking her first victory against a top-10 player since she took down then-No. 10 Daria Kasatkina at the 2019 Brisbane International.

“I’m so totally speechless. To play here is so special and to play well with all of you cheering for me means the world. I hope to keep this going and make you all proud,” Birrell expressed.

“It has been a long journey. I have faced several injuries like many in professional sports, and everyone has their challenges in life,” she added.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive family and team who believed in me when I doubted I could return to the court. Their encouragement is the reason I’m competing at this level again,” Birrell mentioned.

Birrell now has the opportunity to extend her success in Brisbane when she plays against either Anhelina Kalinina or Yuan Yue on Friday, both of whom are unseeded competitors.

In men’s doubles, James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic pulled off an upset against the second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. After losing the first set in a tiebreak, the Australian duo fought back to win 6-7(6) 6-4 (10-8).