Australian tennis star Ajla Tomljanovic has been eliminated from the ATX Open in Austin, falling in the quarter-finals to compatriot Kimberly Birrell. Birrell secured a straightforward victory, defeating Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3 in just one hour and 24 minutes.
Scheduling Backlash from Fans and Media
Despite Tomljanovic holding a slightly higher world ranking than the 27-year-old Queenslander, many observers did not find the result surprising. This is largely due to what has been described as "terrible scheduling" by tournament organizers, which left Tomljanovic with minimal recovery time.
Tomljanovic had advanced to the quarter-final with a remarkable win over world No. 18 Iva Jovic, the highest-seeded player remaining in the tournament. Ranked 74th globally, Tomljanovic staged an impressive comeback, triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that concluded late in the evening.
Quick Turnaround Criticized
However, she was back on court the very next day, playing the first match with only about 16.5 hours of rest. All Surface Media commented, "Her reward for a top-20 win last on court? Organisers have put her first on court tomorrow."
Social media accounts echoed this sentiment. Ace Previews blasted the situation as "just a terrible scheduling situation for Tomljanovic," adding there was "complete disregard for her as a player." Similarly, Numbers called the decision "ridiculous" and stated it "shouldn't be allowed."
Tomljanovic's Tournament Performance
Tomljanovic was aiming for consecutive semi-final appearances in Austin, having previously defeated Venus Williams, the oldest player in the tournament, before her victory over Jovic, the youngest. Despite creating eight break-point opportunities in the quarter-final, she only converted three, which fans argued left her without a fair chance to compete.
Birrell acknowledged the challenge post-match, saying, "Ajla is a great player. We practise quite a bit, so we know each other’s game. I knew that I was going to have to play well, particularly on the big points." She added that the match "didn’t feel one-sided" and she had to "dig deep in some moments."
Looking Ahead for Birrell
Birrell will now face either No. 4 seed Peyton Stearns or Oksana Selekhmetova in the semi-final. For Tomljanovic, the loss marks a disappointing end to a tournament where her win over the highly rated Jovic was one of her most impressive results in recent years.
