An Australian Open home favourite broke down in tears after being thrown off in her opening match.
Kimberly Birrell came through qualifying to reach the main draw and had a tough first opponent in world No. 16 Anna Kalinskaya.
But Kalinskaya pulled out before they were due to take to the court, leaving Birrell “rattled”.
Lucky loser Eva Lys was subbed in to play the match at the 11th hour and made the most of her chance in the main draw, thrashing Birrell 6-2 6-2 in just 70 minutes.
Birrell looked emotional on the court as she struggled to string games together against the world No. 128. And she broke down in tears when she later addressed the media.
“Obviously super disappointed to not play my best today,” the world No. 101 said. “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.”
The 26-year-old Aussie admitted she struggled to regroup following Kalinskaya’s last-minute withdrawal but took full responsibility for her performance.
Birrell continued: “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.
“To find out that she withdrew and that I was playing someone completely different, it did rattle me, unfortunately. But, in saying that, she was in the same position as me.
“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.”
Fighting back tears, the Australian Open qualifier also addressed her emotional reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t want to cry,” she added.
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