Kimberly Birrell reached her first final of 2026 with two hard-fought three-set victories in Seoul on September 26. After initially falling behind against Katie Volynets, Birrell came back to win, then defeated sixth seed Anna Bondar with a score of 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in a match lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes.
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Birrell will face fellow Australian Maya Joint in the final. Joint, who has had a challenging season following her breakthrough last year, progressed to her first semifinal of 2026 by beating third seed Lanlana Tararudee in straight sets and advanced to the final when her opponent, Diana Korneeva, retired in the second set. At the time of the retirement, Joint was leading 6-1, 1-0 after 49 minutes of play.
This matchup marks the first all-Australian final on the WTA Tour since Strasbourg in 2017, and only the third all-Australian final of the 21st century.
In the final, Birrell and Joint will meet for the first time. Birrell, ranked No. 60 in the WTA Rankings, aims for her first title after two previous runner-up finishes in singles and two in doubles, alongside a mixed doubles final appearance at the 2025 Australian Open. With her strong performance in Seoul, she is positioned to make her Top 50 debut.
Conversely, Joint entered the tournament ranked No. 99 with a record of 12-22 for 2026. Despite this, she had notable victories, including against Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Joint's strong year in doubles has seen her reach three finals with different partners and win WTA 500 titles in Abu Dhabi and Monterrey. A win against Birrell would secure her third singles title, complementing her achievements in doubles and enhancing her status in the sport.