Hopes for ground pass holders in all-Australian mixed doubles final

An Australian pair is guaranteed a grand slam title by the end of Friday night. But will ground pass holders be able to watch?

Kimberly Birrell’s hard-earnt Australian Open singles campaign ended in disaster, but the Queenslander is having “the best time” in a newly formed mixed doubles combination on the brink of a grand slam title.

Alongside tour veteran John-Patrick Smith, Birrell won through to Friday’s mixed doubles final against fellow wildcards Olivia Gadecki and John Peers in what will be the first all-Australian decider in the format since 1967.

Birrell, 26, surged into the top 100 and past Gadecki to become Australia’s highest-ranked female singles player with her run to a quarter-final at the Brisbane International, which included a straight sets victory over American world No.8 Emma Navarro.

But her barnstorming run into the main draw ended in heartbreak when her seeded opponent Anna Kalinskaya withdrew 15 minutes before her first-round clash, only for lucky loser Eva Lys to streak past her into the second round.

Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith (pictured) will take on Olivia Gadecki and John Peers in the first all-Australian mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park in 58 years. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

“I’m just having the best time playing with JP (Smith), and I think that’s showing in my tennis,” Birrell said after the duo locked in a surprise final berth against the other Aussie pair.

The left-handed Smith, who will celebrate his 36th birthday on Friday, said earlier in the tournament that he had struggled to lock in a partner for the mixed doubles before the in-form Birrell answered his call.

Since 2012 and as recently as August last year, Smith has episodically paired up with Olympic gold medallist Peers to win six men’s doubles titles on the Challenger circuit, while Birrell joined forces with Gadecki last week to reach the third round of the women’s doubles.

The winning pair will become the third Australian duo in 20 years to take out the title, following Matt Ebden and Jarmila Gajdosova (2013) and Sam Stosur and Scott Draper (2005).

Men’s and women’s doubles offers more than six times the prizemoney, but the winning team will still share $175,000, with the runners-up to receive $97,750.

Smith (left) turns 36 on Friday and joked he is expecting tournament boss Craig Tiley to bring a cake to the final. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

Smith said he hoped the final on Rod Laver Arena would be opened up to ground pass holders, which has been done in the past for matches featuring Australian doubles combinations.

Tennis Australia was contacted for comment regarding ticketing plans for the match.

“To play in front of a crowd, the noise and energy – I’m sure Kim can relate – it just makes it so much fun, Smith said.

“I’ve obviously known Kim for a long time and watched a lot of her matches. I just

thought we would be a great team.

“She stepped up in big points (on Wednesday). She’s done a lot in both (match) tie-breakers we’ve played this week, and I learned a lot from that. It makes me go after it a little bit more

myself and trust in myself.

“I think we’ve really gelled really well this past week here. I think moving forward for the final, we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Originally published as Hopes for ground pass holders in all-Australian mixed doubles final