Australia’s Kimberly Birrell has earned the biggest win of her career and her first main-draw Roland Garros victory in a three-set thriller over world No.5 Jessica Pegula.
Despite losing the first set in less than half an hour, Birrell rallied to claim a 1-6 6-3 6-3 triumph over the American in one hour and 45 minutes on Wednesday morning (AEST).
“I don’t really know what to say,” a shocked Birrell said on court after the first-round match.
“When I saw the draw… I knew it would be extremely tough.
“[It’s] probably the best match I’ve played on clay.”
Despite winning fewer points overall, the 28-year-old Queenslander showed trademark grit to win the points where it mattered, generating 12 break points and coverting 50 per cent of them on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Pegula was in form having lifted the women’s singles title on Charleston’s green clay in April and reached the quarterfinals in Rome earlier this month, and was a quarterfinalist in the French Grand Slam in 2022.
In the second round, the Australian will face world No.65 Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova , who downed Elena Pridankina in straight sets.
Birrell arrested a seven-match losing streak on clay, having last won on the surface against Bianca Andreescu at the WTA 125 Catalonia Open in April 2025.
Her previous career-best win on any surface was over then-world No.8 Emma Navarro in Brisbane in 2024.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet, to be honest," Birrell told reporters in Paris.
"I just am really proud of the way that I stayed in the match and was able to turn it around.
"I really have been working on playing each point on its merit and deleting the point before, whether I've won or lost the point."
The match threatened to get away from Birrell after a lightning first set from the American, who was hitting winners with ease.
"I just was trying to just weather the storm really at that point," the Australian admitted.
"Like I said, I think I was giving her a couple opportunities with too many short balls, too many balls down the middle of the court."
But the world No.83 Australian hunkered down after the opening stanza, and pointed to a deft drop-shot winner as one of the turning points in the match.
"I'm glad I had the courage to take the opportunity and saw that she was quite far back in the court and hit the dropshot, which I think in the past I probably wouldn't have had the courage to do.
"I just told myself to hang in there and then slowly started to play better and better and held my nerve at the end."
Fellow Queenslander Adam Walton also progressed on Tuesday night after downing world No.8 Daniil Medvedev 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4.
> MORE: Walton scores mammoth triumph over Medvedev
You can watch Roland Garros 2026 on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport.