Kimberly Birrell overcomes injury to win her first WTA Tour title at the Korea Open

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = "I couldn't imagine life without tennis."

Kimberly Birrell (28, Australia), who won her first Women's Professional Tennis (WTA) Tour title at the Korea Open after two and a half years of surgery and rehabilitation, said this.

Birrell's tennis career, which attracted attention by reaching the third round of the 2019 Australian Open, took a turn for the worse as he had to undergo surgery twice due to elbow injuries.

Birel, who was on the verge of retirement, gathered his courage and returned to the court. It is said that it took six months just to re-establish every movement that was disturbed, starting with the serve.

Although he was delayed due to injury, Birel, who steadily improved his skills, finished second in the 2024 Osaka Open and the 2025 Chennai Open.

He then experienced the joy of winning his first tour title at the 2026 Korea Open, which ended at the Seoul Olympic Park tennis court on the 27th.

After the game, Birel said, "It was really painful and difficult when I couldn't play tennis, which had been my entire life since I was young, due to an injury against my will. During the painful rehabilitation process that was repeated every day, there were a couple of moments when I thought, 'I really can't play anymore,' and I tried to give up."

It was the people who stood by his side that helped him get back on his feet. Birrell said, “(My family, coaches, and trainers) all respected my choice and said, ‘It’s okay to quit.’ Thanks to that, I was able to relax and take a break from tennis for just two weeks.”

“But two weeks later, I came right back to the court,” he said with a laugh.

When asked how he felt about winning his first title, which he had long dreamed of, Birel said, "I am so happy that I cannot express it in words. It is definitely one of the best moments of my tennis career."

The fact that his opponent in the finals was his 'best friend' Maya Joint (20, Australia), also from Australia, made his feelings a bit complicated at the moment of winning.

Regarding the reason why he was relatively calm at the moment of confirming his victory, Birel confessed, "Maya is a very close friend, so I felt that if I was too happy, it would break her heart. I was very happy, but at the same time, I felt sorry and affectionate for my friend. To be honest, I was so emotional on the inside that I could barely hold back the tears."

Birel tells Joint, ‘Everything is okay! He said he comforted her by saying, ‘Let’s eat something delicious together tonight!’

He said, "I promised to go out to eat Korean barbecue with Maya this evening. We plan to eat a lot of meat and have sweet ice cream for dessert to encourage each other."

The championship trophy, shaped like a large Goryeo celadon, will be sent to my brother who returns home first. Birel laughed and said, “I’m going to put all the cosmetics I bought from Olive Young in my brother’s bag and send them to him.”