Kim Birrell has ended a run of four consecutive first-round exits at the US Open, battling back from a set down to defeat Croatia's Petra Marcinko 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 and reach the second round in New York for the very first time. The victory on Tuesday (AEST) also pushed Birrell to a live ranking of No.55 — which would represent a new career high — and set up a second-round encounter with 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The result came on a strong day for Australian tennis overall, though Aleks Vukic was unable to add to the tally, falling 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Japanese youngster Rei Sakamoto in a five-set contest that carried over from the previous day due to rain.

Birrell's Gutsy Comeback After Overnight Suspension

Birrell's match had been halted overnight with the Australian trailing by a set and locked at three-all in the second-set tiebreak — an agonising position that gave her hours to contemplate what might have been another early New York exit. She dropped the first point on resumption, edging even closer to defeat, but responded with four consecutive points to take the tiebreak 7-4 and level the match.

The defining moments arrived early in the third set. Marcinko conceded her serve in the third game after dragging a forehand wide, but she threatened on three separate occasions to break back — each time repelled by a determined Birrell. The Queenslander staved off the final two break-back opportunities with rare aces before going ahead 3-1 when the Croatian put a forehand volley into the net.

Birrell's task was not finished. Facing pressure at 15-30 while serving for a 4-2 lead, she withstood a barrage of aggressive groundstrokes from Marcinko, absorbing the Croatian's power and waiting for the inevitable errors. Marcinko ultimately gifted her opponent match point with a double fault, then sent a forehand into the net to end the contest.

The 28-year-old's achievement is all the more remarkable given she survived two career-threatening elbow surgeries before ever establishing herself as a top-100 contender. She has now won at least one match at each of the four grand slams, with her best previous result being a run to the round of 32 at the 2019 Australian Open.

Vukic Falls Short Against Rising Japanese Star Sakamoto

While Birrell celebrated, Vukic's US Open campaign ended in disappointment after a gruelling five-set defeat to 20-year-old Rei Sakamoto. The young Japanese player — a former junior world No.1 who notably ended Kei Nishikori's grand slam career during qualifying — had appeared on the verge of physical collapse as the fifth set began, yet he re-energised with a series of bold, aggressive shots to break Vukic in the opening game of the decider.

Sakamoto did not offer Vukic a single break-point opportunity throughout the fifth set, completing the match on Tuesday after rain had forced a postponement with the Japanese player serving at 4-3. The performance underlined why many observers believe Sakamoto is poised to become a significant force on the tour in coming years.

More Australians Still to Come, Plus Global Headlines

Birrell becomes the second Australian to win at this year's US Open, joining Taylah Preston, who used a wildcard to defeat American Alycia Parks in straight sets on day one. Rinky Hijikata, Alexei Popyrin and Maya Joint are all scheduled to play, while James Duckworth holds a two-sets-to-one lead over 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi in a match still in progress. Alex de Minaur begins his campaign on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka moved comfortably into round two with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Camila Osorio, and Carlos Alcaraz — returning from an extended wrist injury layoff — is on track for victory in his first match since April. The day's biggest shock was produced by Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eliminated Cincinnati Masters champion Arthur Fils in four sets.