Inside 16-year-old’s stunning upset, as No.1 plots Open boilover

“Sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself, so today I was trying to focus on each point and not get ahead of myself.

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“The message [from my team] was no pressure, go out and play my best because I wasn’t expected to win.”

Jones, who will now take on world No.9 Daria Kasatkina in the second round, had already revealed herself as a star on the rise, having claimed the junior Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns last year.

Meanwhile, Kim Birrell, fresh off a quarterfinal charge at the Brisbane International, will begin her reign as Australia’s new No.1 through the Australian Open qualifiers this week.

The 26-year-old was not granted a wildcard to the main draw, and, despite overtaking Olivia Gadecki as the nation’s top-ranked woman (No.99), will need to fight for her place in Melbourne.

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But Birrell, who defeated world No.8 Emma Navarro on Pat Rafter Arena last week, was confident she could maintain momentum throughout the summer.

“I’m super proud of the way I’ve been playing and just backing myself, no matter who’s down the other end, I trusted my ability and the work I put in through the off season,” Birrell said.

“I knew my level was there, but now that I’ve really proven it, there are so many positives. I’m definitely going to keep riding the high I’ve been on this week and take it into playing in Melbourne.

“I’m going to continue to keep backing myself, and the confidence I’ve gained [in Brisbane] has been unreal, and you just can’t replicate that in practice.

“You need to really prove on the match court you can do it, and having done that, I’m going to use that going into next week and continue this momentum – hopefully for the whole year.”

Birrell is set to take on Sara Saito in the first round of the qualifiers on Tuesday.

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