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Aussie Birrell digs deep to reach US Open second round

Kim Birrell saved a match point and rallied from a set down to earn her first US Open win and a second-round meeting with Ekaterina Alexandrova.

  • On Monday, Australian Kim Birrell defeated Croatia's Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 , 6-3 to secure her first US Open first-round victory after a 14-hour rain delay.
  • Having lost all three previous tournament openers in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Birrell rallied from a match point down on Sunday to break her first-round curse.
  • "That's crazy," Birrell said of the guaranteed $265,000 payday, which she and fiancé Matt Fraser plan to use for their December wedding in Kingscliff.
  • Fellow Australian James Duckworth advanced with a four-set upset victory over 30th-seeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi, while Aleksandar Vukic fell in five sets to Japanese rising star Rei Sakamoto.
  • The victory positions Birrell among an elite group, having now won at least one match at all four grand slams; her ranking is projected to reach a career-high No. 55.
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Sydney Morning HeraldSydney Morning Herald
+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
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Gutsy Birrell, Duckworth prevail at US Open as Alcaraz makes strong return

Kim Birrell had never won in four previous trips to the New York grand slam, but that all changed on Tuesday in her rain-interrupted clash.

·North Sydney, Australia
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The West Australian broke the news in Osborne Park, Australia on Monday, August 31, 2026.
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