Elena Rybakina’s win over Kimberly Birrell cemented an unassailable 2-0 lead for Kazakhstan over Australia, before Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez tightened scores with a doubles win at Pat Rafter Arena on Thursday.
Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 10 April 2025 | Matt Trollope
Elena Rybakina overcame Kimberly Birrell in a hard-fought match at Pat Rafter Arena on Thursday to complete victory for Kazakhstan over Australia.
From 3-1 down in the first set, and 5-1 down in the second, Rybakina elevated her level at both junctures to earn a 6-3 7-6(4) win, extending Kazakhstan’s lead to 2-0 over the hosts.
OFFICIAL PROGRAM: Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers (AUS-COL-KAZ)
Earlier in the day, Yulia Putintseva’s form and experience shone through as she defeated gallant debutant Maya Joint in the first singles rubber.
Puntintseva, 12 years older than the teenaged Joint, won 6-2 6-1 to give her nation a 1-0 lead.
Doubles delight
Australia experienced some joy when Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez combined to win the doubles rubber late in the afternoon.
The Aussie lefties outplayed Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva 6-3 6-4 in what was Hunter’s first competitive BJK Cup outing at home – and first of any kind since sustaining a serious injury at the same venue last year.
“It was amazing … It’s been a long time coming, it’s been 11 years since I’ve actually been able to play a [home] match; got close last year [but] didn’t quite happen,” Hunter said.
“So I was really happy to get that today, because that was something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. And to play with a childhood friend as well, in Ellen, and to share that moment together was really special.
“I’m really happy with how we played and how we got along, and how we just played really well – we were very clear and positive on the court, and really good energy, so really happy with how our match went today.”
Birrell extends Rybakina
Playing on home soil, Queensland’s Birrell threatened to dent Rybakina’s near-flawless Billie Jean King Cup record, trading blows with the powerful 25-year-old before Rybakina’s weapons clicked into gear.
Behind her huge serve and relentlessly heavy groundstrokes, and bolstered by the roof over Pat Rafter Arena, Rybakina reeled Birrell in to take her competition singles record to 8-1.
“She played really well, I think the whole match,” Rybakina said of the Aussie.
“Of course my serve in the second set dropped a bit and I started to lose and after I finally found that energy and timing on the serve.
“[There were] some good rallies from both of us and in some important moments I played a little bit better being down and found myself on the tiebreak and I felt a little bit better.”
Birrell has faced top players in the teams event in years prior – such as Dominika Cibulkova in 2016 and Madison Keys in 2019 – but this was the closest she’d pushed a player of this calibre.
It was another sign that the world No.61 was trending in the right direction in what has so far been an excellent season.
“Even though I’m disappointed now, I think I can definitely take some confidence from this match and playing another tight match against one of the girls who have cemented themselves in the top 10,” Birrell said.
“So yeah I’m definitely believing in the way that I’m playing, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do this year.”
Putintseva fires early
The first match was closer than the scoreline suggested, especially in the second set, where Joint took four games to deuce, earned two break points, and saved five of her own.
But she was unable to win any of those deuce games – five in total across the match – as Putintseva’s court craft, composure and ability to neutralise Joint’s power proved pivotal.
“It was definitely a good game for me and I love playing in Brisbane. I think today just one of those days when everything was working and yeah, I’m very happy that it turned out being here,” said Putintseva, who was impressed by Joint’s debut performance.
“I think it was very tough. Every game was a challenge and I’m very happy that I kept my focus. In the end, I mean, the score was easy [but] the game was never easy, always a pressure.
“She’s so young. I would say she never give up, which is a good point. Like at this age, sometimes when something is not going good, you’re like, ‘let your emotion go’. [But] she was focused.
“She was fighting every point so it’s great to see from the young age that she’s very mature. Plus I think she has a good baseline game for her age like, it’s very impressive.”
Putintseva’s win improves her Billie Jean King Cup singles record to an impressive 21-11.
Lessons on debut
Joint, meanwhile, felt both excitement and nerves when told yesterday she had been selected as the No.2 singles player.
Despite the loss she could see positives when asked to describe her first experience of international representative play.
“She forced me to play outside of myself, I would say. [From] middle of the second set, I could start feeling that I was trying to go for shots that weren’t there… so yeah, she played great,” Joint told tennis.com.au.
“I was so happy that Sam [Stosur] trusted me enough to put me out on the court and to play, and then I was also really nervous because I wanted to do well, but mainly excited and just really happy that all my hard work had paid off.
“I was pretty nervous walking out onto the court and starting the match, but I started pretty well, so I settled pretty quickly.
“It’s just a very different atmosphere with the drums and everyone’s so loud and everyone’s so into it. It’s a really special event that only happens once, twice a year, so I’m really happy that I was able to be a part of it.”