Australian Kimberly Birel and Maya Joint battle for WTA Korea Open singles title

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = Australia's Kimberly Birrell (60th) and Maya Joint (99th) compete to win the 2026 Women's Professional Tennis (WTA) Tour Korea Open tennis tournament.

Birel defeated Katie Bolinetz (78th, USA) 2-1 (2-6 6-2 7-5) in the quarterfinals held on the 26th.

In the subsequent semifinals, she defeated Erna Bunder (69th, Hungary) 2-1 (7-5 ​​2-6 6-1) and advanced to the finals.

In the quarterfinals, Joint defeated Lanrana Tararudi (62nd, Thailand) 2-0 (6-4 6-3), and in the semifinals, she led Alina Korneeva (82nd, Russia) 6-2 in the first set and 1-0 in the second set, but withdrew and had to compete with Birel for the championship trophy.

Korneeva withdrew from the match due to a left thigh injury.

Due to rain the previous day, the quarterfinals through the semifinals were held at once.

By advancing to the finals of the Korea Open, the 28-year-old Birel has confirmed his entry into the top 50 in the world rankings to be announced next week. You will break your personal highest ranking.

If she defeats Joint, she will win the WTA Tour for the first time in her life.

The 20-year-old rookie joint rose to 28th place in February of this year, but due to injuries and poor performance, he was frequently eliminated in the early stages of competitions, and his ranking fell significantly.

Joint is trying to lay the foundation for a rebound by winning his third tour title at the Korea Open.

The singles final begins at 3:30 pm on the 26th.