“But I am proud of the way I played, and I made her come up with some really quality tennis to beat me. I’m definitely believing in myself against the girls ranked at the top of the game.”
Australia’s next great hope still a way off
Maya Joint got tongues in the tennis world wagging of her potential, having surged to 78th in the world on the back of a maiden semi-final appearance and three quarterfinals on tour this year.
But while there were flashes of brilliance from the 18-year-old in her 6-2, 6-1 defeat to Yulia Putintseva, the difference in experience proved costly.
There were several times when Joint’s powerful back court game came to the fore – a series of ferocious cross court and down the line shots earning the match’s first break points.
However, in each instance, she was unable to continue the momentum – often attempting a similar winner the very next point only to send it wide or into the net.
By contrast, Putintseva was unwavering when Joint pressure was applied, and when she sniffed an opportunity she was quick to strike.
But Putintseva cautioned against expecting the youngster to strike the perfect balance in her game in the fledgling stages of her career.
“Sometimes when you’re young you’re kind of playing fearlessly, and it can help, and sometimes when you’re more mature and know what you have to do it’s more pressure. You have to find a balance – I’m still finding it, I’m still searching,” Putinseva said.
“At this age, sometimes when something is not going good you let your emotions go, but she was focused. It’s great to see from a young age she is very mature, plus I think she has a good baseline game … it’s very impressive.”
Australia will now hope Colombia shock Kazahkstan on Friday to keep their hopes of automatic qualification for the finals alive.
While Joint’s loss on her BJK Cup debut could pave the way for veteran Ajla Tomljanovic to earn a reprieve, Birrell backed the nation’s rising prospects to respond ahead of their battles with Colombia on Saturday.
“We’re up for the challenge, we’ll dust ourselves off. We have that never say die attitude, and no matter what happens … never count us out.”
Kim Birrell
Storm the Hunter returns
Just when Storm Hunter was on the cusp of attaining career-best plateaus, her life was thrown into disarray.
It was on the eve of the last BJK Cup qualifying round in Brisbane when the Rockhampton product suffered a ruptured Achilles, sidelining her for 10 months and costing her the chance at Olympic gold in Paris.
But after announcing her comeback in February, the 30-year-old doubles specialist did not appear to have missed a beat as she joined forces with Ellen Perez to win 6-3, 6-4 against Zhibek Kulambayeva and Anna Danilina.
“She’s back where she belongs. Everyone felt what happened to her last year, and I’m really stroked she’s back in the green and gold – I think it’s definitely meant a lot to her,” Birrell said.
“On the tennis front, she’s absolutely flushing the ball. I’m sure it’s not going to take her very long at all to find her best tennis again.
“It’s brutal what can happen in this sport, injuries are really tough, but this team has been through quite a bit, and we’ve come back even stronger.”
Is Olympic gold in Brisbane Rybakina’s for the taking?
Having established a happy hunting ground in Brisbane, Rybakina has pledged her desire to bring an Olympic gold medal home to Kazakhstan when the 2032 Games launch in the city.
The Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie between Australia and Kazakhstan at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.Credit: Getty Images
The 25-year-old triumphed in the 2024 Brisbane International in a clinical final against grand slam heavyweight Aryna Sabalenka, and she admitted to drawing on those moments when Birrell applied the heat on her throughout Thursday’s win.
While she admits her health and longevity in the sport could be tested across the next seven years, the passion to deliver Olympic glory was currently spearheading her pursuits.
“Seven years is a lot, so honestly I don’t know, but if I’m healthy and still playing then yes I would love to come back,” Rybakina said.
“I felt really good coming back to Brisbane, I knew how the courts are and the conditions. It gave me confidence knowing I’d won here before.”
