Birrell Wins All-Australian Final in Seoul for First WTA Title

Kimberly Birrell lost the first two games of the Korea Open final, then took control of the first all-Australian WTA singles final since 2017. The #2 seed broke fifth-seeded Maya Joint twice to take the opening set and closed out a 6-4, 6-2 win in 1 hour, 23 minutes on Sunday in Seoul. It is her first WTA Tour singles title after she lost finals in Osaka in 2024 and Chennai in 2025.

The two traded breaks early in the second set before Birrell pulled away. Joint had won both of her previous WTA finals, but she lost all four of her service games in the set, and Birrell finished the match with one last break. Birrell converted six of 10 break points to Joint's three of six. Joint finished with 12 winners and 41 unforced errors, while Birrell had 10 winners and 21 unforced errors. Birrell, 28, started the week at #60 and is projected to rise to a career-high #41 in Monday's rankings, her Top 50 debut.