Kim Birrell Breaks US Open Barrier with Stunning Comeback
Kim Birrell stared down a match point, a sleepless night and a soggy schedule – and finally kicked the door down at Flushing Meadows.
The 28-year-old Queenslander, winless in three previous main-draw appearances at the US Open, came back to defeat Croatian Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 and reach the second round for the first time in New York.
From rain delay to revival
This was a victory built over two days and a long, restless wait.
Birrell and Marcinko were locked in a tense second set on Sunday night when rain swept across the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Birrell, already a set down and fighting to stay alive, faced match point in the 12th game. She survived it, but the storm forced them off court and into a 14-hour limbo.
They returned to Court 7 on Monday (Tuesday AEST) with the match still hanging by a thread. Birrell was trailing by a mini-break in the tiebreak, the Croatian edging closer to the line. The pressure finally told – on Marcinko.
Birrell clawed her way through the breaker 7-4, flipping a match that had been slipping away. Once level, she began to look like the player who had outlasted Marcinko in Texas back in February, not the one who had been swept aside in straight sets on the Eastbourne grass two months ago.
The decider belonged to the Australian. She wore Marcinko down, tightened her own game and pulled clear 6-3, sealing what ranks among the most satisfying wins of her career.
Breaking a New York barrier
For Birrell, this wasn’t just another first-round grind. She had fallen at this stage in each of her previous US Open main-draw campaigns in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Three years, three exits.
This time she joins rising compatriot Taylah Preston as the second Australian woman into the second round, finally shaking off that Flushing Meadows hoodoo.
Her reward is significant on and off the court. Birrell now earns a shot at Russian world No.19 Ekaterina Alexandrova in round two, and a guaranteed $US190,000 ($265,000) payday – with the chance to push that figure higher if she can back up again on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).
Vukic falls short in marathon finish
While Birrell turned her delay into an advantage, Aleksandar Vukic couldn’t quite do the same.
His five-set battle with Japan’s Rei Sakamoto also stretched across the weather interruption. When they resumed, Sakamoto already held a break deep in the deciding set. He didn’t offer a crack.
The Japanese player reeled off six straight points on serve to shut the door, completing a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win and sending Vukic out after a bruising contest.
Big tests looming for Aussies
The Australian challenge now shifts to a packed day-two schedule, with four more players chasing second-round spots.
- Alexei Popyrin faces a dangerous assignment against former US Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian, forced to qualify this year after an injury lay-off, remains one of the most gifted shot-makers in the draw and a serious early obstacle.
- Rinky Hijikata walks into an even steeper climb against third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, while James Duckworth meets Italian Matteo Arnaldi in a match that could turn into a baseline grind.
- Maya Joint, one of the more intriguing emerging Australians, draws the much-fancied Liudmila Samsonova, a player capable of blowing opponents off the court when her power game clicks.
Then comes the headline act.
World No.7 Alex de Minaur opens his title quest on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri, carrying not just his own ambitions but the weight of Australian hopes in the men’s draw.
Birrell has already changed her story in New York. The question now is how many of her compatriots will follow her lead.
