Australia’s representation in the Hobart International main draw will remain at two after Kimberly Birrell’s hopes of advancing through qualifying were ended by a former top 30 Kazakhstani.
Birrell, who scored her first WTA main draw victory in Hobart back in 2016, was aiming to join Daria Saville and Olivia Gadecki in the 32-strong field ahead of her clash against Yulia Putintseva.
The 25-year-old Gold Coaster threw everything at Putintseva – a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist who boasts two singles titles and a career high ranking of No.27 – in the opening match on centre court on Sunday, before going down 6-3, 6-4.
Rubbing a little extra salt into the wound, Birrell missed one of the three lucky loser spots in the main draw on offer following the withdrawals of seventh seed Linda Noskova, Wang Xiyu and Rebeka Masarova.
Five of the six second round qualifying matches were wrapped up in straight sets, with the only match which went the distance resulting in a mild boilover as top qualifying seed Nadia Podoroska was sent packing by China’s Yue Yuan 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in a titanic battle.
The order of play for the first day of main draw action has also been released, with Saville to headline the night session on centre court.
>Order of Play
The popular Aussie, who returned from a knee reconstruction midway through 2023, will face Anna Blinkova in the first match of the night session. Third-seed Lin Zhu and Lucia Bronzetti will square off in the second match Monday night.
Two-time Hobart champion Elise Mertens will also feature on the opening day of action, with her blockbuster clash against 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins the second match scheduled on centre court.
Birrell and Gadecki have teamed up in the doubles and will follow the Mertens-Collins match, while fellow Aussie Elysia Bolton and Alexandra Bozovic have also formed a doubles combination and will be in action on Monday.
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