"Feels amazing”: Aussie Wildcard reflects on upset win

Australia’s Talia Gibson has reflected on her First Round win against World No.64 Anna Blinkova at the Australian Open.

It was a clinical performance by the 21-year-old (ranked 119 in the world coming into the tournament) who, in the space of 76 minutes, claimed a 6-1, 6-3 victory to progress into the Second Round to open the action on Day 1.

The win is a significant one for the West Australian, with this being the highest-ranked opponent that she has beaten, showing plenty of growth in her game.

It is also the second time that she has managed to progress into the Second Round.

Speaking on her feelings about the match, the wildcard entrant admitted she couldn’t be much happier following her victory.  

“It feels amazing. I'm absolutely over the moon,” she said post-match.

 “To be the first match to finish and the first Aussie through in the main draw today is a really great feeling for sure.”

With the win, it now means that Gibson will walk away with at least $225,000 (AUD), which will go a long way to being able to compete on the tour on a more permanent basis.

And as she gets close to a top 100 spot, that money will go a long way to help her push into that group.

“It goes a huge way,” she noted.

“There's obviously a massive difference in prize money at Grand Slams compared to the lower-level tournaments. I think a lot of people know how expensive it's to be on tour for a whole year.

“So, it goes an extremely long way for sure.”

Gibson will have to wait until tomorrow to find out her opponent in the Second Round.

That will be confirmed on Monday when two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejčíková plays No. 23 Diana Shnaider.

SEN will have LIVE coverage throughout the Australian Open on Monday through its radio network and on the SEN App from 7pm AEDT.