Angelique Kerber completes horror show for hosts on Rod Laver Arena as she thrashes wildcard Kimberly Birrell to reach Australian Open fourth round
- Angelique Kerber cruised past Kimberly Birrell at the Australian Open on Friday
- On her 31st birthday Kerber beat the Aussie wildcard 6-1, 6-0 to reach round four
- Birrell’s defeat followed another heavy loss for an Australian on Rod Laver Arena
- Aussie men’s No 1 Alex De Minaur was beaten in straight sets by Rafael Nadal
Birthday girl Angelique Kerber thrashed Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 6-0 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday and complete a late-night horror show for the locals at Rod Laver Arena.
On the day of her 31st birthday, the German former champion has enjoyed a stellar start at Melbourne Park and 240th-ranked Birrell had nowhere to hide in front of a packed centre court crowd.
German Angelique Kerber cruised into round four of the Australian Open late on Friday night
Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell was thrashed 6-1, 6-0 by Kerber on Rod Laver Arena
Birrell’s heavy loss capped off a disappointing night for Australians at Melbourne Park
The match followed Rafael Nadal’s straight sets demolition of Australian No 1 Alex De Minaur.
Roaring through the first set in 27 minutes, Kerber’s procession was held up briefly as Birrell saved three match points.
Yet the former world No 1 made no mistake on the fourth, rushing forward to hammer a forehand winner down the line to set up a clash against American Danielle Collins.
Kerber produced 17 winners and just nine unforced errors. Birrell made 10 winners and a whopping 30 unforced errors.
On her 31st birthday, Kerber produced an excellent display as she outclassed her opponent
Kerber was backed by a group of fans in the crowd who wished her happy birthday with a sign
The players smiled as they shook hands at the net after their match which lasted 58 minutes