It’s been an uplifting week for the Aussie ladies in Asia. In Singapore, Talia Gibson, 22, reached her maiden WTA ultimate and can face Leylah Fernandez for the title.
A six-hour flight to the northeast, two different Aussies are making noise, as Kimberly Birrell and Maya Joint have set the primary all-Australian WTA ultimate since Strasbourg in 2017 and solely the third all-Australian ultimate of the twenty first century.
After most of Friday’s play was worn out because of rain, a pair of three-set victories on a busy Saturday in Seoul despatched Birrell into her first ultimate of 2026. The Australian rallied from a set right down to defeat Katie Volynets, then toppled No. 6 seed Anna Bondar, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1, in two hours and half-hour.
“It feels nice to be wholesome and enjoying some good tennis in Seoul,” Birrell stated. “I hope I can get better nicely, have night time’s sleep, eat some good meals and be prepared for tomorrow.”
Awaiting Birrell within the ultimate is compatriot Maya Joint. After a tough season following final yr’s breakthrough and surge up the rankings, the 20-year-old superior to her first semifinal of 2026 with a straight-sets victory over No. 3 seed Lanlana Tararudee. Joint, who famously defeated Serena Williams in first-round motion at Wimbledon this summer time, and once more in doubles on the US Open, reached her first ultimate of the yr when Alina Korneeva retired within the second set of their semifinal.
Sunday’s ultimate will mark the primary time in 21 years that two Aussie ladies have met in a WTA exhausting court docket ultimate.
2005 – Two Australians (Maya Joint and Kimberly Birrell) will face one another in a WTA stage exhausting court docket ultimate for the primary time since January 2005 (Alicia Molik and Samantha Stosur in Sydney). Aussies. #KoreaOpen | @WTA @TennisAustralia
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 26, 2026
Joint led 6-2, 1-0 when Korneeva retired.
Birrell, ranked No. 60, is 0-2 in WTA finals. Joint, ranked No. 99, is bidding for her third WTA title, having gained Rabat and Eastbourne in 2025.
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