Inside Aussie No.1’s capitulation: Four things learnt from BJKC defeat

Australia’s leading woman of tennis Kim Birrell has refused to concede the nation’s Billie Jean King Cup hopes were in tatters, despite suffering defeat to Kazakhstan in Brisbane. Birrell had been enjoying a giant-killing season in 2025 – her scalps including Elise Mertens (ranked 22) and Emma Navarro (11) taking her to a career-high 62nd in the world – until she was met by a fierce Elena Rybakina on Pat Rafter Arena. Life as the nation’s No.

1 began brightly for the Gold Coast product, clinching the first break of serve to take an early 3-1, before the world No.10 showed her class to triumph 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Kim Birrell of Australia plays a shot in her match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their 2025 Billie Jean King Cup qualifier at Pat Rafter Arena.



Credit: Getty Images In winning the set, Rybakina claimed 16 of 17 points, an array of classy shots, cross court coverage and changes of pace forcing Birrell into mistakes. It was a similar theme in the second set, with Birrell this time defending two break points up 3-1, before showcasing brilliant scrambling winners while mixing up her short and long court game. But her collapse from 5-1 up was catastrophic, as Rybakina sent the clash into a tiebreak.

She looked unflappable, with her baseline game precise as Birrell’s brief magic touch suddenly evaporated. In gut-wrenching scenes, the 26-year-old fell as she returned what proved the final point, opening the court for Rybakina to dispatch a simple match-winner. Elena Rybakina in action against Kim Birrell in Brisbane.

Credit: Getty Images “I knew even when I was up in the second set it wouldn’t take too much for the momentum to shift again, and I really needed to stay concentrated. Maybe she thought at that scoreline she could just swing freely and came up with some quality,” Birrell said. “But I am proud of the way I played, and I made her come up with some really quality tennis to beat me.

I’m definitely believing in myself against the girls ranked at the top of the game.” Australia’s next great hope still a way off Maya Joint got tongues in the tennis world wagging of her potential, having surged to 78th in the world on the back of a maiden semi-final appearance and three quarterfinals on tour this year. But while there were flashes of brilliance from the 18-year-old in her 6-2, 6-1 defeat to Yulia Putintseva, the difference in experience proved costly.

There were several times when Joint’s powerful back court game came to the fore – a series of ferocious cross court and down the line shots earning the match’s first break points. However, in each instance, she was unable to continue the momentum – often attempting a similar winner the very next point only to send it wide or into the net. By contrast, Putintseva was unwavering when Joint pressure was applied, and when she sniffed an opportunity she was quick to strike.

But Putintseva cautioned against expecting the youngster to strike the perfect balance in her game in the fledgling stages of her career. “Sometimes when you’re young you’re kind of playing fearlessly, and it can help, and sometimes when you’re more mature and know what you have to do it’s more pressure. You have to find a balance – I’m still finding it, I’m still searching,” Putinseva said.

“At this age, sometimes when something is not going good you let your emotions go, but she was focused. It’s great to see from a young age she is very mature, plus I think she has a good baseline game ..

. it’s very impressive.” Australia will now hope Colombia shock Kazahkstan on Friday to keep their hopes of automatic qualification for the finals alive.

While Joint’s loss on her BJK Cup debut could pave the way for veteran Ajla Tomljanovic to earn a reprieve, Birrell backed the nation’s rising prospects to respond ahead of their battles with Colombia on Saturday. “We’re up for the challenge, we’ll dust ourselves off. We have that never say die attitude, and no matter what happens .

.. never count us out.

” Storm the Hunter returns Just when Storm Hunter was on the cusp of attaining career-best plateaus, her life was thrown into disarray. It was on the eve of the last BJK Cup qualifying round in Brisbane when the Rockhampton product suffered a ruptured Achilles, sidelining her for 10 months and costing her the chance at Olympic gold in Paris. But after announcing her comeback in February, the 30-year-old doubles specialist did not appear to have missed a beat as she joined forces with Ellen Perez to win 6-3, 6-4 against Zhibek Kulambayeva and Anna Danilina.

“She’s back where she belongs. Everyone felt what happened to her last year, and I’m really stroked she’s back in the green and gold – I think it’s definitely meant a lot to her,” Birrell said. “On the tennis front, she’s absolutely flushing the ball.

I’m sure it’s not going to take her very long at all to find her best tennis again. “It’s brutal what can happen in this sport, injuries are really tough, but this team has been through quite a bit, and we’ve come back even stronger.” Is Olympic gold in Brisbane Rybakina’s for the taking? Having established a happy hunting ground in Brisbane, Rybakina has pledged her desire to bring an Olympic gold medal home to Kazakhstan when the 2032 Games launch in the city.

The Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie between Australia and Kazakhstan at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane. Credit: Getty Images The 25-year-old triumphed in the 2024 Brisbane International in a clinical final against grand slam heavyweight Aryna Sabalenka, and she admitted to drawing on those moments when Birrell applied the heat on her throughout Thursday’s win. While she admits her health and longevity in the sport could be tested across the next seven years, the passion to deliver Olympic glory was currently spearheading her pursuits.

“Seven years is a lot, so honestly I don’t know, but if I’m healthy and still playing then yes I would love to come back,” Rybakina said. “I felt really good coming back to Brisbane, I knew how the courts are and the conditions. It gave me confidence knowing I’d won here before.

”.