Birrell surprise as Joint prepares for Raducanu test
Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell has sprung a surprise at the Eastbourne Open, tipping out 2020 Australian Open champion and world No.29 Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
Birrell, 27, the world No.77, bounced back from a first-round exit at Nottingham last week to put out Kenin, of the United States, 6-4 6-4 in the pre-Wimbledon tournament.
It provides more encouragement for Gold Coast resident Birrell, who has reached the quarter-finals in Singapore and Brisbane, along with ventures to the second round at Miami and Rosmalen so far this year.
She was also a success story at the Australian Open in January, where she won the mixed doubles with John-Patrick Smith.
Another Australian, Maya Joint, who eliminated two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur on Monday, has discovered that her reward will be a second-round clash with home favourite Emma Raducanu.
The British No.1 and seventh-seed had to recover from a first-set setback, deal with blustery conditions on England's south coast and manage a back problem on the way to a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-1 win over Ann Li, of the United States.
Raducanu has been troubled by her back since competing in Strasbourg before the French Open and took an off-court medical timeout during her quarter-final loss at Queen's Club earlier this month.
But, aside from a slip and fall on the grass in set one, she appeared to come through her opening examination at Devonshire Park unscathed.
"It feels incredible. I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments," the former US Open champion said in her on-court interview.
"It really meant a lot to me and I'm really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set. I'm very, very happy to come through that.
"It was tough, it was up and down, but from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and a another level."
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova retrieved two match points against British opponent Harriet Dart's serve before rallying to win her first-round tie.
Dart was 40-15 up on serve leading 5-4 in the decisive third set of a rain-affected round-of-32 match that second-seeded Krejcikova went on win 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-5.
It was just the second victory this year for the 17th-ranked Krejcikova, whose season did not start until May because of a back injury.
Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini had contrasting victories on the Bad Homburg grass on as the two top seeds progressed to the last eight in Germany.
Top seed Pegula, of the United States, quickly dispatched qualifier Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour.
But Paolini, Italy's No.2 seed, needed two hours and 32 minutes to beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (8-6) in the joint second-longest two-set WTA match of 2025 so far.
Poland's Iga Swiatek, the fourth seed who has never won Wimbledon despite five grand slam titles, also reached the last 16 after beating fellow former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus 6-4 6-4.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Gout runs hot in Europe to break Aussie 200m record
Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has crushed the field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national 200m record at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old beat his old mark by two-hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds. He wasn't the only Australian winner at the meet, with Peter Bol taking out the 800m race. Gout ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), crossing the line 0.17 seconds ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, with Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. "Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first-up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt, and made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record 0f 20.04, which had stood for 56 years. The Queensland teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the world championships in Tokyo in September. In another great result for Australia, veteran West Australian Bol produced his second-fastest time in the 800m, taking victory in 1:43.80 - just 0.01 seconds outside his national record set at the Australian championships in April. Making his move with one lap to go, Bol dominated the field with his signature composure and acceleration, cruising to another victory. Gout wasn't the only teenage to shine in Ostrava, with 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivering the performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. "My fastest races the last two years have been miles,'' Myers said. "It's a coincidence, but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." On the field, West Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.82m to take third place. With a clean sheet until his final clearance, Marschall was unable to clear 5.92m, and passed in his remaining attempts to aim for a new personal best of 5.97m. Marschall had to settle for bronze, only defeated by two six-metre jumpers in Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own meeting record with a 6.13m vault, and Greek entrant Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 5.92m. Australia's fastest woman, Torrie Lewis, clocked 11.26 (+0.6) to finish sixth in the 100m. - with Reuters Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has crushed the field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national 200m record at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old beat his old mark by two-hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds. He wasn't the only Australian winner at the meet, with Peter Bol taking out the 800m race. Gout ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), crossing the line 0.17 seconds ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, with Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. "Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first-up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt, and made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record 0f 20.04, which had stood for 56 years. The Queensland teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the world championships in Tokyo in September. In another great result for Australia, veteran West Australian Bol produced his second-fastest time in the 800m, taking victory in 1:43.80 - just 0.01 seconds outside his national record set at the Australian championships in April. Making his move with one lap to go, Bol dominated the field with his signature composure and acceleration, cruising to another victory. Gout wasn't the only teenage to shine in Ostrava, with 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivering the performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. "My fastest races the last two years have been miles,'' Myers said. "It's a coincidence, but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." On the field, West Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.82m to take third place. With a clean sheet until his final clearance, Marschall was unable to clear 5.92m, and passed in his remaining attempts to aim for a new personal best of 5.97m. Marschall had to settle for bronze, only defeated by two six-metre jumpers in Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own meeting record with a 6.13m vault, and Greek entrant Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 5.92m. Australia's fastest woman, Torrie Lewis, clocked 11.26 (+0.6) to finish sixth in the 100m. - with Reuters Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has crushed the field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national 200m record at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old beat his old mark by two-hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds. He wasn't the only Australian winner at the meet, with Peter Bol taking out the 800m race. Gout ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), crossing the line 0.17 seconds ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, with Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. "Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first-up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt, and made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record 0f 20.04, which had stood for 56 years. The Queensland teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the world championships in Tokyo in September. In another great result for Australia, veteran West Australian Bol produced his second-fastest time in the 800m, taking victory in 1:43.80 - just 0.01 seconds outside his national record set at the Australian championships in April. Making his move with one lap to go, Bol dominated the field with his signature composure and acceleration, cruising to another victory. Gout wasn't the only teenage to shine in Ostrava, with 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivering the performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. "My fastest races the last two years have been miles,'' Myers said. "It's a coincidence, but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." On the field, West Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.82m to take third place. With a clean sheet until his final clearance, Marschall was unable to clear 5.92m, and passed in his remaining attempts to aim for a new personal best of 5.97m. Marschall had to settle for bronze, only defeated by two six-metre jumpers in Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own meeting record with a 6.13m vault, and Greek entrant Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 5.92m. Australia's fastest woman, Torrie Lewis, clocked 11.26 (+0.6) to finish sixth in the 100m. - with Reuters Australian teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has crushed the field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national 200m record at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old beat his old mark by two-hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds. He wasn't the only Australian winner at the meet, with Peter Bol taking out the 800m race. Gout ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), crossing the line 0.17 seconds ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, with Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. "Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first-up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt, and made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record 0f 20.04, which had stood for 56 years. The Queensland teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the world championships in Tokyo in September. In another great result for Australia, veteran West Australian Bol produced his second-fastest time in the 800m, taking victory in 1:43.80 - just 0.01 seconds outside his national record set at the Australian championships in April. Making his move with one lap to go, Bol dominated the field with his signature composure and acceleration, cruising to another victory. Gout wasn't the only teenage to shine in Ostrava, with 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivering the performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. "My fastest races the last two years have been miles,'' Myers said. "It's a coincidence, but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." On the field, West Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.82m to take third place. With a clean sheet until his final clearance, Marschall was unable to clear 5.92m, and passed in his remaining attempts to aim for a new personal best of 5.97m. Marschall had to settle for bronze, only defeated by two six-metre jumpers in Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own meeting record with a 6.13m vault, and Greek entrant Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 5.92m. Australia's fastest woman, Torrie Lewis, clocked 11.26 (+0.6) to finish sixth in the 100m. - with Reuters
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Australian teen Gout beats his own 200m national record
Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout crushed the 200 metres field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national record by two hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, crossing the line 0.17sec ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) was third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100 but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt and he made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record that had stood for 56 years in 20.04. The Ipswich, Queensland, teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Meanwhile 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivered a performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. He said: "My fastest races the last two years have been miles. It's a coincidence but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout crushed the 200 metres field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national record by two hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, crossing the line 0.17sec ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) was third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100 but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt and he made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record that had stood for 56 years in 20.04. The Ipswich, Queensland, teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Meanwhile 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivered a performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. He said: "My fastest races the last two years have been miles. It's a coincidence but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout crushed the 200 metres field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national record by two hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, crossing the line 0.17sec ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) was third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100 but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt and he made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record that had stood for 56 years in 20.04. The Ipswich, Queensland, teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Meanwhile 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivered a performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. He said: "My fastest races the last two years have been miles. It's a coincidence but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30." Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout crushed the 200 metres field in his first senior race abroad, bettering his own national record by two hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike. The 17-year-old ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, crossing the line 0.17sec ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) was third. "I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday," Gout said. "I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100 but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race which is of course my stronger part. "I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win. Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first up in Europe!" Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt and he made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record that had stood for 56 years in 20.04. The Ipswich, Queensland, teenager was confirmed in April for Australia's team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Meanwhile 18-year-old Cameron Myers delivered a performance of a lifetime in the men's 1500m, clocking 3:29.80 to smash his own Australian under-20 record by nearly three seconds. Finishing fourth in the hotly contested race, the performance moves Myers to third on the Australian all-time list, just 0.39 shy of Oliver Hoare's record of 3:29.41 set in 2023. He said: "My fastest races the last two years have been miles. It's a coincidence but it's really good to have a fast 1500m and I'm really pleased to get a PB and my first time under 3:30."
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Tomic stuns with four-year first
Bernard Tomic displayed the sort of fight that was absent in his fall from the top to record his first ATP tour-level win for four years in Mallorca. Tomic, the former world No.17 who hadn't played a tour-level event since the 2021 Australian Open, came from a set down to topple fellow Aussie, Wimbledon-bound Rinky Hijikata 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Down 3-5 in the second set on the grass courts in Spain, Tomic rallied to claim his third consecutive top-100 scalp and jump to 214 on the live rankings. Tomic, 32, has won four ATP titles and reached his ranking high in 2016. But nearly a decade later, the Queenslander is showing signs of a resurgence most thought couldn't happen. The win came after Tomic won twice in qualifying to make the main draw, having been slogging it out in lower level and Challenger events in an attempt to break back into the top 100. More wins could put Tomic in the frame to play in qualifying for the US Open in New York in late August. His victory came as fellow Australians James McCabe, Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu and Alex Bolt all successfully kickstarted their Wimbledon 2025 qualifying campaigns with wins. For 21-year-old McCabe, it marked a brilliant Wimbledon qualifying debut having also tried to qualify for the French Open. '(I'm) grateful to be out here, and it's everyone's dream to play the slams,' he said. 'It was my first (Roland Garros last month) and now it's my first Wimbledon, so it's an unreal experience.' There are already 13 Australians qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon.
