Brisbane International 2025: Novak Djokovich, Jordan Thompson into quarter-finals, Kimberly Birrell pulls off another upset
Novak Djokovic has continued his stunning win streak over veteran Gael Monfils, extending his unbeaten run over the Frenchman to 20 matches to advance to the Brisbane International quarter-finals.
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Novak Djokovic’s dominance of fellow veteran Gael Monfils has continued at Pat Rafter Arena, with the former world No.1 extending his unbeaten run against the Frenchman to 20 matches to advance to the Brisbane International quarter-finals.
Djokovic, 37, beat 38-year-old Monfils 6-3 6-3 in 72 minutes on Thursday night to book a meeting with big-serving American Reilly Opelka – the tallest-ever ATP-ranked player at 211cm – for a place in the semi-finals.
The Serbian great – a winner of 24 grand slam singles titles including 10 Australian Opens – was never in danger of suffering an ATP Tour loss for the first time to Monfils, the world No.55.
“I’ve had a good score against him over the years but we’ve had some incredible battles,” Djokovic said.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best athlete, in our sport that I have seen over the years. He has incredible agility, flexibility, speed, such a great player to watch.
“I have tons of respect for him so hopefully we can play some more before we both retire.”
Monfils did have his chances in the first set but failed to deliver when it mattered.
Up a break point in the third game, Monfils came up with an untimely unforced error.
He then paid the price for a loose service game, with Djokovic not needing a second invitation to take the initiative, breaking Monfils serve to open up a 3-1 lead.
Monfils fought hard to ensure the set wasn’t a blowout, with a slashing forehand in the sixth game earning the applause of Djokovic.
Djokovic was also forced to work hard when serving out the set, dropping the first two points of the ninth game.
However, Monfils then let himself down with a wild forehand that flew well beyond the baseline, with Djokovic steadying to close out the set in 30 minutes.
The former world No.1 then upped the ante, breaking Monfils serve to love in the third game of the second set.
From there it was a procession, with Djokovic cruising to victory as he took another step in his quest to win his 100th ATP title and his first Brisbane International crown.
“I’ve never won the Brisbane International … hopefully this is the year,” he said.
“I haven’t played it too many times, but every time I’ve played, it’s been in front of a packed stadium of very passionate tennis fans, and I want to thank you all for your great support and presence.”
NEW AUSSIE NO.1 CROWNED
Kim Birrell is daring to dream after the Gold Coaster saluted with another stunning Brisbane International upset to book her place in a maiden WTA 500 quarter-final.
The smiling assassin is now the provisional top-ranked Australian woman following her 7-6(2) 6-2 victory over Anastasia Potapova which pushed her back inside the top-100 on the WTA live rankings, overtaking fellow Gold Coaster Olivia Gadecki.
Only 24 hours after producing the upset of the Australian summer to bundle out tournament No.2 seed Emma Navarro in straight sets, Birrell returned to Pat Rafter Arena and repeated the dose against world No.35 Potapova.
“I’m totally speechless,” Birrell said post-match.
“Gosh. To play here is so special and to play well and have all of you guys (the crowd) behind me it just means the world.
“I hope that I can keep going and make you guys proud, so thank you.”
On Wednesday she was dancing with the devil against the uber-agile Navarro but on Thursday, Birrell was forced to fight fire with fire as the powerful Potapova attempted to blow the Aussie off the court.
Yet try as she might, the Russian could not find a way past the brilliant Birrell, who owned every inch of her home court and forced Potapova into 45 unforced errors.
If not for some clutch serving from her opponent Birrell would have wrapped things up even earlier than she did. Potapova saved nine of 12 break points but when the dam wall eventually broke early in the second set Birrell, buoyed by a boisterous Brisbane home crowd, steamrolled her way past the Russian and into the final eight.
“She’s a quality player and credit to her, she played so well in the big points,” Birrell said of Potapova.
“I was creating opportunities and I thought eventually I was going to get there. When I got to the (first set) tie-breaker I felt I had been on top the entire set – I felt quietly confident.
“When I got the break in the second set it felt so good.”
Birrell entered the tournament ranked No.113 in the world. With her win over Potapova, she rose to No.99 in the WTA live rankings – one place higher than her career-best of 100, which she achieved in September 2023.
If the Gold Coaster wins her quarter-final she could rise to as high as No.85 in the world.
“I just want to enjoy this moment and then I’ll take some time with my team and concentrate on my next match,” Birrell said.
“I really believe in the way that I’m playing and anything can happen, especially in the first week of the year and especially playing at home. I can’t wait to get back out here.”
THOMPSON BOOKS QUARTER-FINAL REMATCH WITH DEFENDING CHAMP
Jordan Thompson booked himself a quarter-final date with defending Brisbane International champion Grigor Dimitrov with a straight sets win over Alex Michelsen at Pat Rafter Arena on Wednesday night.
The Sydneysider started 2025 in style with a 7-5 6-3 second-round victory over the 20-year-old American, who had beaten another Australian, Christopher O’Connell, in the first round.
And Michelsen, who defied an early nose bleed, seemed to be well on the way to claiming another Australian scalp, with Thompson down 5-2 and 0-40 on serve in the first set.
However, Thompson, whose scalps in the same tournament last year included Rafa Nadal before losing to Dimitrov in the semi-finals, suddenly found an extra gear, winning five straight points to clinch the eighth game.
With momentum on his side, the 30-year-old Sydneysider then pounced, winning another four successive games to secure the first set in 58 minutes.
“He was playing incredible but I just wanted to hang around,” Thompson said.
“The words give up don’t mean much to me. At 5-2 and 0-40 (down), I did have new balls so it helped a bit, but I hit a lot of winners in that game.
“I then put the pressure on him in his next service game and rolled through that set.
“It’s not the first time I’ve come back in a set against him. I was just thinking `let’s try to build a bit of rhythm’.”
The eighth-seed maintained his dominance in the second set, closing out the match in one hour and 32 minutes to the delight of the crowd.
“The Brissie crowd and the Brissie stadium is just epic. This is one of my favourite courts,” said Thompson, who will relish the chance to gain revenge on Dimitrov.
“He’s an incredible player who has done a lot of things in the sport.
“He’s the one that took me down last year and he’s the defending champion, so it’s going to be another test and another opportunity.”
BIRRELL EYES TOP-100 RANKINGS BERTH AFTER STUNNING UPSET
Gold Coaster Kim Birrell is on the cusp of a return to the top-100 after stunning world No.8 Emma Navarro 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
Australia’s smiling assassin completely overwhelmed the tournament’s No.2 seed, breaking the Navarro serve a staggering six times in an early contender for upset of the Australian summer.
In October the two players met for the first time on a hard court in Hong Kong where Navarro comfortably accounted for the Aussie in straight sets.
But Birrell flipped the script on her home court, bullying the American’s backhand and dominating the baseline exchanges to book a place in the third round of a WTA 500 event for the first time.
“I think it really helped me that we had played before,” Birrell said.
“I definitely identified some things that I could have done better down at my end of the court and I guess I knew what I needed to do and I knew I needed to play really well today.
“It’s one of those situations where you have no choice, you just have to go for it. That was kind of the attitude I had going into today.”
Wednesday’s win was just the second top-10 scalp of Birrell’s career, following her 2019 triumph over then-No.10 Daria Kasatkina – also at the Brisbane International.
A year later she was back in Brisbane but as a member of the tournament’s media team while she recovered from an elbow injury that would ultimately cruel the entirety of her 2020 season.
“At that time when I was working for the tournament instead of playing in the tournament … I realised how big of a sport tennis is,” Birrell said.
“It was really cool to be on the other side and experience all of that. It gave me the chance to reflect and realise that I did really want to keep playing.
“Obviously I didn’t expect to be out injured for so long. That was sort of the beginning of my injury. Then I had almost two more years of rehab ahead of me at that time, so there were definitely periods where I didn’t know if I was going to get back on court, let alone at the level I played today.”
Five years on from playing chaperone to Naomi Osaka, Birrell is now one win away from a career-best ranking.
Wednesday’s win moved her to No.106 in the WTA live rankings.
Her previous career-best ranking is 100, which she achieved in September 2023.
A win over Anastasia Potapova in the next round would move the Aussie back inside the top-100 and deliver her a career-best ranking on the eve of the Australian Open.
Despite her red-hot recent form, which included a run to the final in Osaka last October, Birrell was not offered a main draw wildcard for the Australian Open.
But the 26 year old – who could pass Olivia Gadecki and become the No.1 ranked Aussie before the start of the tournament – said she was at peace with Tennis Australia’s decision.
“To be honest I didn’t think too much about it. (This is) probably one of the first years that it didn’t really play too much on my mind,” Birrell said.
“I actually had a little feeling that I may not get one, because there were so many of us that did need it and we are all ranked around the same … and we have some amazing juniors coming up the ranks.
“When I was their age I was given some opportunities from TA so yeah, I can only worry about myself and my pre-season.
“I’m super happy for the girls that received them.
“I think it’s great to be playing qualies. I qualified at the US Open, so I have belief that I can do it and can’t wait to get to Melbourne.”
Birrell’s breakthrough victory was a tough act to follow for fellow Aussie Aleksander Vukic, who drew reigning Brisbane International champion Grigor Dimitrov in Wednesday’s second round.
After a slow start, Vukic pushed Dimitrov to a second-set tie-breaker but ultimately fell short 6-2 7-6(5) to the No.2 seed.
POPYRIN BOMBS OUT IN OPENING ROUND OF BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL
Australian No.2 Alexei Popyrin has bombed out of the Brisbane International in the opening round, falling 6-3 6-2 to familiar foe Matteo Arnaldi on Tuesday.
When the draw was released Popyrin grinned at the prospect of revenge on the man who broke his and Australia’s heart in the 2023 Davis Cup final.
The world No.24 labelled that defeat “the most painful loss of my career” and the Italian twisted the knife even further on Tuesday, completely outplaying the Australian on his home court a day after Jordan Thompson defeated Arnaldi’s compatriot Matteo Berrettini in three sets on Pat Rafter Arena.
Arnaldi spent the bulk of his off-season in Melbourne with his Australian girlfriend and looked right at home in the stifling hot and humid conditions on show court 1.
The world No.37 dominated the court and managed to take away the powerful Popyrin’s weapons.
Popyrin appeared to be in control in the opening set, racing through his service games and seeing break points on the Arnaldi serve.
The Italian was going at just 30 per cent on his first serve and it felt like only a matter of time before Popyrin banked one of his many break points.
Instead it was Arnaldi with the early statement, punishing an uncharacteristically loose Popyrin service game to get the early jump before finishing off the first set with a flourish.
The Italian continued to struggle landing his first serves but Popyrin was unable to punish him. Arnaldi won an incredible 70 per cent of points on his second serve to Popyrin just 42 per cent; an ace ending the Aussie’s Brisbane run before it even had a chance to begin.
Popyrin, who made the second round in Brisbane last year, will lose 25 ranking points but his Australian Open seeding will remain secure.
—Callum Dick
SABALENKA STARTS ON WINNING NOTE
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for Brisbane International redemption has started in commanding fashion, with the two-time Australian Open champion rarely troubled in her straight-sets disposal of Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.
Having been given a first-round bye, top seed Sabalenka beat Zarazua 6-4 6-0 at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday to advance to a third-round meeting with 15th seed Yulia Putintseva, of Kazakhstan.
Last year’s Brisbane International runner-up opened up an early 3-0 lead before allowing Zarazua back into the contest with an extremely loose service game in which she was broken to love.
However, she rose again when it mattered, breaking Zarazua’s serve in the 10th game of the match to secure the first set.
Sabalenka then upped the ante in a one-sided second set to win in 62 minutes.
WALTON’S LET CORD WOE IN TIAFOE DEFEAT
A let cord and loose serve came back to haunt rising Australian tennis star Adam Walton in his fighting 7-6(5) 6-3 defeat to world No.18 Frances Tiafoe at the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
Walton, 25, wowed the home crowd on show court 1 as he traded blows with the powerful American and tournament No.4 seed in an enthralling opening round encounter.
Hailing from the small town of Home Hill in north Queensland, Walton became the latest Aussie entrant into the ATP top-100 when he broke through tennis’ glass ceiling in May to settle at No.93 in the world ahead of the first tournament of the summer in Brisbane.
And he played well above his ranking against Tiafoe, a two-time US Open semi-finalist and former top-10 whose career scalps include a fourth round win over Rafael Nadal at Flushing Meadows.
BADOSA KNOCKED OUT IN SECOND-ROUND UPSET
—Marco Monteverde
Women’s fourth seed Paula Badosa has been knocked out of the Brisbane International in a second-round upset at Pat Rafter Arena.
Playing in her first match of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye, Spain’s Badosa was beaten 6-3 1-6 6-2 by unseeded Armenian Elina Avanesyan on Tuesday.
Having lost the first set, world No.12 Badosa seemed back on track after winning the second set in just 24 minutes.
However, Avanesyan retained control of the match in the third set against her visibly frustrated opponent to win in two hours and two minutes.
THOMPSON CLAIMS MAJOR SCALP AT BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL
—Callum Dick
Comeback king Jordan Thompson has claimed his first serious scalp of the Australian summer, outdueling in-form Italian powerhouse Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Brisbane International.
Just as he did on the same court 12 months earlier against Rafael Nadal, Thompson, 30, came from a set down to blitz past the 2021 Wimbledon finalist and book a berth in the second round.
This time there were no match points to be saved but Monday’s win felt similarly sweet for the fighting Aussie, whose back was against the wall in the early stages as Berrettini fired down his trademark bombs.
Thompson rolled his eyes on Saturday when he was drawn to face the former world No.6 in the opening round.
Two years ago such a meeting would have been reserved for a quarter-final or better but after a string of injuries, Berrettini is only now rediscovering the form that made him one of the top players on the planet.
“Big serve, big forehand,” was Thompson’s quick assessment of the nightmare match-up.
As prophesied, the Italian’s booming serve and fierce forehands were on full display in the opening set and he had the hometown hopeful on his heels.
“He was playing well. It seemed like everything was going his way, he was serving at such a high percentage,” said Thompson.
“It’s tough when a guy is that big and he’s serving that well, to just try and build some rhythm.”
Berrettini overpowered Thompson from the back of the court and rode his luck at the net – much to the Australian’s chagrin.
Sensing a pivotal moment trailing 4-1, Thompson rushed the net for a serve-volley and forced a wild shot from Berrettini that hit the let cord, looped over Thompson’s head and somehow landed on the line.
The Italian apologised. The Aussie was aghast.
Huge! @jordanthommmo2 rallies from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini!
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) December 30, 2024
Onto the next one, Thommo!#BrisbaneTennispic.twitter.com/c9g9qoIc7y
“At that point in time I was thinking ‘everything you’re touching is just turning to gold’,” Thompson said.
“That is just one point (but I) didn’t need that for the head space at that point in time.”
Thompson’s frustration threatened to boil over as Berrettini continued to paint the lines and place his shots in near-impossible positions.
But fittingly, it was another bold journey to the net that laid the foundations for Thompson’s eventual victory.
On-serve at 2-2 in the third, he again charged the net but this time, showing all the poise of a Grand Slam doubles champion, successfully put the loose Berrettini backhand away.
His triumphant roar was matched by the Brisbane crowd and with their voices at his back, Thompson served out the match.
He is one of the major fancies in Brisbane this week following a standout 2024 season that saw him rise to No.26 in the world.
Last January he felled Nadal en route to a semi-final berth and with the level he showed against Berrettini on Monday, the Aussie ace will fancy his chances of a similar run this summer.
Next on the agenda is a familiar foe, American Alex Michelsen, with whom Thompson played out one of the most memorable matches on tour this year.
Last February, Thompson trailed Michelsen 6-0, 4-1 in the quarter-finals at Los Cabos only to fight back, fend off three match points and clinch the match in three sets.
Labelled the best comeback victory of 2024, Thompson will hope the going is a little easier when they meet again in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“Hopefully I don’t get off to that start in the next one,” he laughed.
“I’ve said it so many times, I don’t know how I turned that match around.
“I think I’m the tough player that just hangs around (and) fights for every point. That day it paid off. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point next time.”
Originally published as Brisbane International 2025: Novak Djokovich, Jordan Thompson into quarter-finals, Kimberly Birrell pulls off another upset
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