I don’t really think about seedings or rankings too much, says Kimberly Birrell

Kimberly Birrell enters the interview room on Friday (October 31, 2025), smiling with her eyes glowing. There is no pretense in her answers; her replies are not mere one-liners, but more explanatory.

Ranked 117 in the world, the 27-year-old Australian, seeded seven, in the ongoing WTA 250 Chennai Open tennis tournament has been playing rock-solid tennis thus far.

After two tough matches against Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia and India’s Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Kimberly breezed past Croatia’s third seed Donna Vekic in straight sets pretty comfortably to enter the semifinals.

However, things were not the same a few years back for Birrell. She had two surgeries on her right elbow from 2019 and 2022 that put her out of the sport for a while. “It was a hellish period, and I certainly don’t have fond memories of that time. There was also a time when I thought I may not make it back, that tennis wasn’t going to be my path and my career may be over, Birrell told itftennis.com

Between July 2019 and January 2022, she played just four tournaments and won two matches. More than the physical pain it was the time away from the courts that made her sad.

It’s all a blur now. In the capital city of Tamil Nadu at the SDAT-Nungambakkam Stadium here, Birrell is at her best, serving really well, moving confidently and employing her shots, especially the two-handed backhand strokes, to devasting effect.

Against the third seed Vekic, Birrell was exceptional in her shot making abilities, conjuring winners from the backcourt when it demanded. It was a different matter that Vekic was not at her best, committing far too many unforced errors than warranted, making the Australian job easier.

With the exit of Vekic, Birrell is the lone seed remaining in the tournament. When asked whether the exit of seeded players is a cause for concern, she explained on the contrary it shows the level of women’s tennis. “I don’t really think about the seedings or the rankings too much. I think in women’s tennis, the level is incredibly high that anyone can beat anybody. For example, in my second round (round of 16) against Shrivalli was tough. Her ranking was around 400 [434], but she played really well. You can never judge someone based on the number next to their name,” she said.

What has helped sail through, said the Australian, is her experience. “Obviously, what I think helps me is that I’ve been in such situations before and I’m experienced and I’ve played at this level for a little while now. I think that’s the main thing I’m thinking about,” she said.

It drizzled consistently a few days prior to the start of the Chennai Open. Matches were cancelled for the first two days of the main draw and play began at 11 a.m. The first round saw quite a few foreigners withdrawing midway in the tournament due to extreme heat. Birrell said the weather was a challenge.

“All of us were just happy that it stopped raining and that we were getting back on court. Although it was very tough. And it was a challenge for sure to play. Especially, I played at 11 a.m. on that day. So, it was very hard to come from not doing too much the last two days. But that’s why we trained so hard throughout the entire year. We all just had to cope with it in our own way. I’m glad that I was able to get through it,” she said.

Birrell thanked her coach Nicole Pratt for improvements in her game. “I think she’s helped me as a person in my tennis game so much. And I can’t thank her enough for her expertise and her support. And it’s really awesome to work with a female coach. And, also someone who played on the WTA tour. She has so much experience of her own playing--she won the singles title in 2004 (Hyderabad Open). It’s just like a mutual understanding which I think is hard to find. So, I feel very lucky,” she said.

Birrell has come a long way from being a ball girl at the Pat Cash Academy in Queensland where her father was once a coach.

On a resurgent journey, Birrell is having her best run in a WTA 250 event this year--her best was reaching the final of the Japan Open in October 2024. There is good reason that she won’t stop here.

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