Kim Birrell has admitted to being 'rattled' by the late change of opponent in her surprise first-round loss at the Australian Open before tearing up in an emotional press conference that followed her elimination at the hands of a lucky loser.
After making it through qualifiers, Birrell was scheduled to take on 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya on Tuesday afternoon in her first match at the grand slam.
However, the 26-year-old would end up playing against Eva Lys, who replaced Kalinskaya when she unexpectedly withdrew, and the German made the most of her opportunity to win in straight sets.
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Birrell was humbled by Lys 6-2, 6-2 in a disappointing performance.
Kim Birrell reacts during her first-round loss. Â Getty
Speaking to media post-match, Birrell opened up on the "tough situation" and conceded the last-minute change of opponent knocked her around.
"Obviously super disappointed to not play my best today," she said post-match.
"It was a tough situation. If I could play the match again, I would love that. I think it could have gone differently, but you know, it is what it is.
"I had prepared to play Anna. She's a really amazing player. I knew that I was in for a battle against her, and I had done my research and spoke a lot with my team.
"To find out that she withdrew and that I was playing someone completely different, it did rattle me, unfortunately. But, in saying that, she was in the same position as me.
"I take responsibility for not handling that. I didn't have my best day … it felt like it just got away from me. [It is] something that I can definitely learn from."
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Birrell came into her home major with plenty of momentum and was Australia's top female player, sitting in 101st spot on the WTA rankings.
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Unfortunately, hopes of a run deep into the tournament were dashed rather swiftly and Birrell began to tear up as the emotions set in.
"Sorry, I didn't want to cry ," she said through tears.
"Obviously I'm an emotional person. I'm human. I put a lot of hard work and effort into this sport, and then to obviously also play some really good matches and then have a day like today is a hard pill to swallow.
"I definitely don't want this to be the memory that I take from this AO swing. I want to remember the good matches and amazing times I've had with my family and the crowd.
"Then I've got doubles coming up, so obviously I'm going to get all of this out and feel the disappointment, and then I will pick myself back up and go again."
