Four Australians claimed early victories at Indian Wells on Thursday morning (AEDT), beginning Australia’s charge at the tournament in emphatic fashion.
Talia Gibson, Ajla Tomljanovic, Kimberly Birrell and Adam Walton progressed through to the second round after all recorded straight-set wins.
Gibson booked her place with a 6-3 7-5 win over world No.41 Ann Li. Her first WTA 1000 triumph also spelled the biggest victory of her career in terms of ranking, surpassing her first-round victory over world No.64 Anna Blinkova at Australian Open 2026.
MORE: Gibson stuns in AO 2026 first-round upset
“It’s my first main-draw win at a 1000 so I’m extremely happy, especially because I got through quallies as well, I’m really proud of myself,” she said.
“It’s my first time here at Indian Wells, and I’m absolutely loving it, having an amazing time. So, I’m super stoked to get the win.”
Thursday marked the 21-year-old’s 14th victory of the season, a record including match wins at both WTA and ITF level. Gibson’s success to begin the year derives from a level of confidence acquired from playing regularly over the past few months.
AUSSIE WATCH: De Minaur leads Australian charge at Indian Wells
“Especially over this summer, I’ve learned a lot, played a lot of matches, so it’s enabled me to keep developing my game, which I’m really happy about,” she said. “I’m taking a lot of confidence into these matches with how well I’m playing.”
Gibson is one victory away from making her top-100 debut, with the chance to cement her place in her second-round match against 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Tomljanovic and Birrell both built on their Austin form with their respective first-round wins.
Tomljanovic defeated Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-5 6-2 to reach the second round of the Californian tournament for the fifth time, while Birrell set up an Adelaide International semifinal rematch against No.10 seed Victoria Mboko after she prevailed against Oksana Selekhmeteva.
The world No.69 needed just 86 minutes to secure the 6-1 6-4 victory, her 11th of the year.
READ: Birrell advances to Adelaide semifinals
Walton was the first Australian men's victor at the event, recording a 6-3 6-3 win over Frenchman Quentin Halys. Winless in his first two matches against Halys – Australian Open 2025 and Adelaide International 2026 – Walton mustered 30 winners, including 12 aces to advance.
He will face Learner Tien in his next match.
Also on Thursday, James Duckworth and Chris O’Connell fell short in their opening-round matches against Dalibor Svrcina and Marton Fucsovics, respectively.
Aussies in action – Indian Wells
DAY 1 RESULTS
Women’s singles, first round
[Q] Talia Gibson (AUS) d Ann Li (USA) 6-3 7-5
Kimberly Birrell (AUS) d Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-1 6-4
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) d Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) 7-5 6-2
Men’s singles, first round
Adam Walton (AUS) d Quentin Halys (FRA) 6-3 6-3
[Q] Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) d James Duckworth (AUS) 6-2 6-4
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) d [Q] Chris O’Connell (AUS) 7-5 6-3
Jenson Brooksby (USA) d Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3 6-4
[Q] Dino Prizmic (CRO) d [Q] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) 7-6(5) 3-6 7-5
COMING UP
Women’s singles, first round
[Q] Storm Hunter (AUS) v Magdalena Frech (POL)
Men’s singles, first round
[Q] Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v [Q] Francesco Maestrelli (ITA)
Women’s singles, second round
Kimberly Birrell (AUS) v [10] Victoria Mboko (CAN)
[Q] Talia Gibson (AUS) v [11] Ekaterina Alexandrova
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v [30] Wang Xinyu (CHN)
[29] Maya Joint (AUS) v TBC
Men’s singles, second round
Adam Walton (AUS) v [25] Learner Tien (USA)
[6] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v TBC
Save over 60% off a 12-month subscription and have access to the ATP, WTA, Australian Pro Tour & Junior Nationals with beIN SPORTS.