On Wednesday, Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell defeated second seed Emma Navarro, but defending men’s champion Grigor Dimitrov reached the Brisbane International quarter-finals.
Birrell challenged the American’s preparations for the Australian Open by going shot-for-shot with world No. 8 Navarro at Pat Rafter Arena.
Navarro had a great 2024, reaching all four Grand Slams, including reaching the semifinals of the US Open.
She was expected to fend off the challenge of 26-year-old Birrell, who has never finished in the top 100 in 10 years on the WTA Tour.
But the Australian, who trains at the Queensland Tennis Center and is ranked 113th in the rankings, was undaunted and delighted the home crowd with some nervous play on center court.
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Birrell, who will face world No. 35 Anastasia Potapova of Russia in the last 16, said she has accepted the role of underdog.
“I think it’s like a situation where you don’t have a choice, you just get on with it,” she said. “That’s the attitude I took today. I think that, along with the many hours I played on this court, really helped me.”
Dimitrov continued his love affair with Brisbane with an easy 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) victory over another Australian wildcard, Aleksandar Vukic.
The Bulgarian, ranked 10th in the world, won the first set and the Australian improved in the second set to keep Vukic at bay.
It was Dimitrov’s 25th overall victory in Brisbane, where he has won twice and finished runner-up once.
“I’m starting to find my game, but I think there’s still a lot of work to do,” Dimitrov said. “So I hope I can build on it a little bit each game and play better and better.”
He will face Australian Jordan Thompson or American Alex Michaelson for a place in the final four.
