Kimberly Birrell stuns Jessica Pegula to reach French Open second round
Paris, May 27
World No. 83 Kimberly Birrell snapped a five-match losing streak and came from a set down to stun No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round of the French Open 2026 in Paris for the first time.
Australia's Birrell is now one win away from reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2019. Her victory also ended a nine-match streak of first-round losses at major tournaments, dating back to 2023, according to the WTA website.
For Jessica Pegula, the defeat marks the second consecutive year she has suffered a first-round exit at a Grand Slam, following her opening-round loss at Wimbledon last year.
Earlier, defending French Open champion Coco Gauff progressed to the second round with a comfortable 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend. With the win, Gauff reached the Round of 64 in Paris for the seventh straight tournament.
The opening-round clash was the first meeting between Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend on the WTA Tour, although Townsend had previously defeated a 15-year-old Gauff in three sets at a W100 event in Charleston in 2019. Seven years later, the reigning French Open champion entered as the clear favourite, while Townsend has not progressed beyond the first round in Paris since 2018.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also produced a commanding display to begin her French Open campaign, beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sabalenka handled every challenge in the match with ease, taking control of both sets by racing to commanding leads of 4-0 in the first and 5-0 in the second. During these dominant stretches, she was in complete command of her game.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Hands down, Gauff looked like a champion today. 6-4, 6-0 is a statement win. She's looking to defend that title and honestly, with Sabalenka also in form, we could be in for an epic final. Rooting for Coco all the way! 🇺🇸
Ariana Sabalenka is just a machine right now. 6-4, 6-2 and she made it look so easy. That power game is something else. I hope our Indian players can learn from her intensity – we need more aggression on court. 🇮🇳
Pegula being seeded so high and losing in the first round again is concerning. She's had some great results but consistency at Slams is missing. Birrell took her chances well though. That's the beauty of sport – never underestimate the underdog! 🐕
Crazy stat: Birrell had lost 9 straight first-round matches in majors before this. Now she beats the world No. 5. That's the kind of resilience you love to see. Pegula needs to regroup mentally before Wimbledon or she'll struggle again. 🧠🎾
One thing I've always felt – mental toughness is what separates champions from good players. Look at Gauff and Sabalenka, they just don't give up. Pegula has all the shots but something is missing in her head during big moments. Hope she fixes it soon. 🙏
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