Australia loses opening tie of Billie Jean King Cup against Kazakhstan

A devastating comeback from former world number three Elena Rybakina has seen Australia fall to Billie Jean King Cup defeat against Kazakhstan in Brisbane.

Rybakina was a break down in the first set and two breaks behind in the second, but still came back to beat Australian number one Kim Birrell 6-3, 7-6(7/4) in the second rubber after Yulia Putintseva beat teenager Maya Joint 6-2, 6-1.

Defeat in both singles rubbers all but eliminates the Aussies from contention for the Billie Jean King Cup finals later in the year, with Kazakhstan only needing to beat Colombia to ensure they top Group D and progress to the eight-team finals in Shenzhen, China.

The Australians will be desperate to earn what could be a valuable point in the doubles with Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez, although will concede that their chances of making the final eight is now a long shot.

Kazakhstan on Friday takes on Colombia, featuring no-one ranked inside the WTA top 600, before Australia faces the South Americans on Saturday.

Maya Joint lost in straight sets in the opening match of the day. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

After dropping the first set against Rybakina, Birrell led 5-1 and had a set point on serve to take it to a decider.

But the 2022 Wimbledon champion suddenly woke up, reeling off four straight games and breaking Birrell twice to make it 5-5.

Queenslanders Birrell admirably fought back to claim the next game to love, but 10th-ranked Rybakina responded in kind to send it to a tie-break.

World number 61 Birrell double-faulted the first point of the breaker, falling behind 3-0 early.

Rybakina also double-faulted, her first of the match, to make it 4-3 and, although Birrell continued to fight, she could not overcome her rival to lose the breaker 7-4.

"It was such a difficult match," Rybakina, who has one eight of her nine Billie Jean King Cup ties, said.

"It's a great team we have, a great spirit."

Yulia Putintseva needed just over an hour to beat Maya Joint in Brisbane. (Getty Images: Chris Hyde)

In the first match, Russia-born Putintseva, ranked 23 in the world, thumped 18-year-old Joint, breaking the US-born Aussie four times in a comfortable victory in an hour and 14 minutes.

Joint was holding her own in a combative first set, before being broken to love in the sixth game of the set.

The world number 78 was broken again to lose the first set without laying a glove on the Moscow-born 30-year-old.

Joint was better in the second set, earning three break points in a marathon fourth game.

By that time, however, Joint had already been broken again and although the Aussie was able to earn three break points, she couldn't capitalise on any of them.

Putintseva won two of the seven break points she earned in the second set to complete the victory and give Kazakhstan a huge leg up at the Pat Rafter Arena.

"Every point is important in these team competitions," Putintseva said on court after the match.

"Hopefully I can inspire the team."

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Last year's quarterfinalists and runners-up in 2019 and 2022, Australia has not missed the quarterfinals since 2018.

Sam Stosur's team are seeded fourth for the so-called World Cup of tennis, but are undoubted underdogs against the 12th-seeded Kazakhs, who featured two players inside the world's top 25.

The bottom two teams in the world group pools will compete in the playoffs, with teams promoted from the regional Group I teams.

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