World number 76 Kimberly Birrell will take on the 148th-ranked Ena Shibahara in the second round of the 2025 WTA Austin Open which will be played on Wednesday, February 26. Get all the Kimberly Birrell v Ena Shibahara predictions, betting tips and odds for this encounter in the section below.
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Kimberly Birrell v Ena Shibahara Head to Head
The first time they faced off was on the ITF circuit in 2018 and Birrell had won that encounter. Last year they met again in Guadalajara and Shibahara had won it that time.
Birrell Keeps Improving with Yuan Win
There wasn’t much to choose between the two players when Kimberly Birrell took on Yue Yuan in the first round here. Both were around 10/11 to win this encounter but it was Birrell who held her nerve and booked her place in round two.
In an encounter lasting two hours and 15 minutes, Birrell bagged a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win despite dropping her serve five times in the encounter.
Birrell had a chance to serve out the first set and then the match but on both occasions it went into the tie-breaker.
The Aussie, who had begun the season ranked 113th in the world, has had such a year so far that she has improved to 76th at the moment and that can be expected to get better with his opening round win. Can she break into the top 70 with back to back successes?
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Shibahara Overcomes Returning Juvan
Kaja Juvan had taken a break from tennis in 2023 because of personal reasons and returned to action with her first main draw match at this level since the 2024 Australian Open.
And while the former world number 58 showed she still had it in her to compete at the highest level, Ena Shibahara managed to find a way to exploit her opponent’s rustiness to win their opener in three sets.
In a match lasting an hour and 48 minutes, Shibahara overcame a slow start to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.
Shibahara was broken twice, both of which came in the first set before she changed tack and made life that much more difficult for Juvan.
This was Shibahara’s first main draw win of the season after losing her openers at Auckland, Australian Open and Cancun.
Birrell v Shibahara Prediction
Birrell’s red-hot form will prove to be too much to handle for her opponent and we expect her to clinch this. Might see a third set though.
Birrell v Shibahara Tips
- Birrell to win: 11/20
- Three sets in the match: 6/4
