Inglis both ecstatic and emotional after beating best friend Birrell

Maddison Inglis was overcome with emotion after her first-round win over fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell, in part because it was her first main-draw win at the Australian Open since 2022.

But also because Birrell is her best friend, and knocking her out of the tournament was bittersweet.

"It’s really hard to play such a good friend," Inglis said in her on-court interview after the grueling 7-6 (6), 6-7 (9), 6-4 win. "The last few days have been a bit stressful. It’s so tough. ... I absolutely adore her. It was really hard to see her on the other side.

"But yeah, I’m stoked that I could play through those feelings and be in the second round. It means the world."

Inglis, who's currently ranked No. 168 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, came through qualifying to reach the main draw.

After taking the first set from Birrell in a tiebreaker, she let two match points slip away in the second before dropping the set. But she took the decider to beat Birrell for just the third time in eight tries.

In the lead-up to the first-round match, the stress of playing one of her closest friends compounded the pressure of playing the main draw of her home Slam. The fact that it was played in John Cain Arena, very late at night after hours and hours of waiting, only heightened the tension.

"It was really tough to play Kim," the 28-year-old said in her post-match press conference. "I was kind of not looking forward to it for a few days, just because it's just really hard to play one of your closest friends."

The two friends shared a warm hug at the net after the last point. Inglis said she was sorry, but Birrell told her not to be.

"It was a little bit of a blur," Inglis said. "I said sorry, just because it was a crappy situation. It's obviously amazing to win, but it's not an amazing feeling seeing your best friend like that.

"She'll be devastated. She's a competitor. She's one of the best competitors out there. So yeah, she'll be really disappointed about that. But hopefully in a few days we'll be able to chat normal again."

Next up for Inglis is 37-year-old Laura Siegemund, who came from 6-0, 5-2 down -- and saved two match points -- to stun 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

They've never played before. In fact, they've never even hit, so the German's unconventional style could be difficult for Inglis to navigate.

But she's more than ready for the challenge.

"I know she's an amazing competitor," said Inglis, who reached the third round in Melbourne in 2022. "She's a little bit quirky with how she plays. She'll make you uncomfortable. She obviously had a great win today. ... Yeah, she's going to be tough. Like Kim, she's going to be a great fighter. 

"I get to play here again at my favorite tournament. So yeah, I'm going to give it everything."