Australian player Kimberley Birrell exited the first round of Wimbledon after suffering a defeat against Croatia’s Donna Vekic. The 27-year-old experienced a challenging start, losing the first set in a swift 33 minutes with a score of 6-0. In the second set, Birrell showed determination and resilience, but ultimately fell short, losing 6-4 and failing to break the 22nd seed’s serve.
Birrell became the first Australian competitor to be eliminated on the opening day of the tournament. Despite having four break point chances throughout the match, she was unable to convert any, while Vekic capitalised on three out of her six opportunities.
In other matches, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, a notable seed, was ousted from the competition after losing in three sets to Britain’s Sonay Kartal. Following Birrell’s exit, Christian O’Connell faced a quick exit as well, going down in straight sets against France’s Adrian Mannarino with scores of 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. O’Connell struggled after a sluggish start, marking a disappointing day for Australian players at Wimbledon.
For tennis fans keen to follow the action, Wimbledon 2025 can be watched on Stan Sport starting June 30.