Kimberly Birrell was left in tears after her Australian Open singles campaign came to an abrupt end when she was beaten by Eva Lys in the first round of the tournament

Kimberly Birrell breaks down in tears (Image: (Image: Australian Open ))

Australian Open hopeful Kimberly Birrell was visibly distraught after a devastating loss in her first-round match. The Aussie wildcard, who had fought through qualifying, faced an unexpected change when her original opponent, world No.16 Anna Kalinskaya, withdrew before the match.

Birrell admitted to being “rattled” by the last-minute substitution of lucky loser Eva Lys, who seized the opportunity and dominated the match, winning 6-2, 6-2 in a swift 70 minutes.

An emotional Birrell struggled on the court against the world No. 128 and later broke down in tears during a media address. “Obviously super disappointed to not play my best today,” said the world No. 101.

Eva Lys defeated the Australian hopeful (Image: (Image: Getty))

“It was a tough situation. If I could play the match again, I would love that. I think it could have gone differently, but you know, it is what it is.”

Birrell acknowledged her difficulty in adjusting to the sudden change but accepted responsibility for her performance.

She had been geared up for a challenging match against Kalinskaya, saying, “I had prepared to play Anna. She’s a really amazing player. I knew that I was in for a battle against her, and I had done my research and spoke a lot with my team.”

Despite the setback, she recognized that Lys was in a similar position, having to step in unexpectedly.

“I take responsibility for not handling that. I didn’t have my best day … it felt like it just got away from me. [It is] something that I can definitely learn from.”

Choking back tears, the Australian Open qualifier also spoke about her emotional response. “Sorry, I didn’t want to cry,” she said. “Obviously I’m an emotional person. I’m human. I put a lot of hard work and effort into this sport, and then to obviously also play some really good matches and then have a day like today is a hard pill to swallow.

“I definitely don’t want this to be the memory that I take from this AO swing. I want to remember the good matches and amazing times I’ve had with my family and the crowd.”

Birrell, who is still competing in the women’s doubles after receiving a wildcard with fellow Australian Olivia Gadecki, expressed her desire to move past the disappointment of her singles loss. The duo is set to go up against Aleksandra Krunic and Nina Stojanovic in their first match.

The 26-year-old emphasized her intention to process her feelings and bounce back for the doubles competition.