Alex de Minaur hails Australia’s rising women’s tennis stars: ‘It’s just going to push each other for bigger and better things’
Alex de Minaur has been one of the leading figures in Australian tennis for several years, but the rise of a new generation on the women’s side has given him another reason to be optimistic about the future of the sport in his country. After a remarkable week across the Asian swing, De Minaur has highlighted the growing depth among Australia’s women and the opportunities that could come with it.
The timing could hardly be more appropriate. Australia entered the second week of the Asian swing after three of its women reached WTA finals across Singapore and Seoul, with Talia Gibson making her first WTA final at the Singapore Tennis Open while Kimberly Birrell and Maya Joint met in an all-Australian championship match in Seoul.
Birrell ultimately claimed the biggest breakthrough of the week, defeating Joint 6-4, 6-2 to win the first WTA title of her career. It was also the first all-Australian WTA singles final since 2017. A day earlier, Gibson had reached her maiden final at WTA 500 level before losing to Leylah Fernandez in Singapore. The three results created an unusual snapshot of the strength currently emerging in Australian women’s tennis.
The results were reflected immediately in the rankings. Gibson climbed 26 places to a career-high No. 37, Birrell rose 19 spots to No. 41 after breaking into the top 50 for the first time, and Joint moved 24 places to No. 75. Australia now has five women inside the world’s top 100, with Taylah Preston also making a small rise after reaching the quarterfinals in Seoul.
De Minaur sees something special in the new generation
De Minaur was quick to acknowledge the results when asked about the performances of Gibson, Joint and Birrell. Rather than viewing them as isolated breakthroughs, he sees the growing number of Australian women competing at a high level as something that can create a positive cycle for the group.
“It was great. It was obviously great to see them doing well. We had three great results with Talia, Maya and Kim – Kim getting her first title if I’m correct. It’s great to see.
Obviously I’ve been one of those spokespersons that I always believe in strength in numbers. The more people we can get in the top hundred playing these tournaments, the better. It’s just going to push each other for bigger and better things.”