The first all-Aussie WTA final since 2017 will take place tomorrow in Seoul.

Chris OddoSeptember 26, 20262 minute read

It’s been an uplifting week for the Aussie women in Asia. In Singapore, Talia Gibson, 22, reached her maiden WTA final and will face Leylah Fernandez for the title.

A six-hour flight to the northeast, two other Aussies are making noise, as Kimberly Birrell and Maya Joint have set the first all-Australian WTA final since Strasbourg in 2017 and only the third all-Australian final of the 21st century.

After most of Friday’s play was wiped out due to rain, a pair of three-set victories on a busy Saturday in Seoul sent Birrell into her first final of 2026. The Australian rallied from a set down to defeat Katie Volynets, then toppled No. 6 seed Anna Bondar, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1, in two hours and 30 minutes.

“It feels great to be healthy and playing some good tennis in Seoul,” Birrell said. “I hope I can recover well, have a good night’s sleep, eat some good food and be ready for tomorrow.”

Awaiting Birrell in the final is compatriot Maya Joint. After a difficult season following last year’s breakthrough and surge up the rankings, the 20-year-old advanced to her first semifinal of 2026 with a straight-sets victory over No. 3 seed Lanlana Tararudee. Joint, who famously defeated Serena Williams in first-round action at Wimbledon this summer, and again in doubles at the US Open, reached her first final of the year when Alina Korneeva retired in the second set of their semifinal.

Sunday’s final will mark the first time in 21 years that two Aussie women have met in a WTA hard court final.

Joint led 6-2, 1-0 when Korneeva retired.

Birrell, ranked No. 60, is 0-2 in WTA finals. Joint, ranked No. 99, is bidding for her third WTA title, having won Rabat and Eastbourne in 2025.