Australian Upsets Shine at French Open
Australia’s Kimberly Birrell made headlines at the French Open by delivering a stunning upset, defeating fifth seed Jessica Pegula in a remarkable comeback. This victory came on the same day that her fellow Australian, Adam Walton, also achieved a major first-round upset by beating sixth seed Daniil Medvedev in a grueling five-set match.
Birrell, who reached a career-high ranking of No.60 during the 2025 season, showcased her resilience by overcoming a tough first set to win the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The unseeded player lost the opening set but turned the tide with a strong performance in the subsequent sets.
Pegula dominated the first set, breaking Birrell’s serve four times in just 24 minutes. However, the match took a turn when Birrell won five consecutive points at 2-2 in the second set, breaking Pegula’s serve and eventually winning the second set 6-3. She continued her momentum into the third set, dropping only three games.
“I don’t really know what to say or think. When I saw the draw and saw I was playing Jessie, I knew it would be really tough,” Birrell said. “I really admire her as a player and person. I tried to take it one point at a time.”
She added, “My goal was to just win one game and slowly gain some confidence. So happy I was able to play probably the best match I’ve played on clay, and able to play during a grand slam – especially here, it’s really really special.”
Birrell dedicated her win to her family, who have been battling health issues recently. “I’ve already FaceTimed Mum and Dad, they’ve been through a little bit over the last couple of months,” she told Grand Slam Daily’s Chris Stubbs. “But they’re doing really well now and yeah, they were able to watch on Stan Sport.”
The stunning result came hours after Walton eliminated Medvedev in a dramatic five-set match. The victory sends Walton into the second round of the grand slam after a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 triumph.
For the 27-year-old Australian, the victory marks a monumental milestone in his career. Ranked No.97, the win against the heavily favoured Medvedev marks his first top-10 scalp.
Walton revealed a previous encounter against the Russian played a massive role in his mental preparation. “It’s huge. Beating him in Cincinnati definitely gave me the belief today that I knew I could do it. I believed and (I’m) just really happy with my performance,” he said.
He added, “I felt he was playing pretty well. (Medvedev) was making a lot of first serves and he was liking my ball, and then I knew I just had to hang tough.”
The match lasted more than three hours in the intense Parisian heat. “Yeah, it’s definitely hotter than previous years that I’ve played here, but we grow up in the heat, we like the heat,” Walton said. “It makes the ball move faster through the air, which I think helped my game today. So I really like it when it’s hot in Paris.”
While Walton celebrates his career moment, it was a different story for fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin. Popyrin bowed out in the opening round after a tough four-set battle against America’s Zachary Svajda, falling 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 5-7.
