Melbourne VIC, Australia, 10 December 2014 | Australian Tennis Magazine

Each day we’ll be featuring a player who is one to watch throughout the December Showdown and into the Australian summer. Today it’s Kimberly Birrell, the top seed in the girls’ 18/u Australian Championships.

An Australian Open girls’ singles semifinalist in January, Birrell enjoyed a season of great success on the ITF junior circuit that saw her crack the top 20 in October and reach finals in Manila, Montreal and Osaka.

She is a quality ball-striker who can hit her spots with laser-like groundstrokes, and, according to tennis insiders, is one of the nicest girls around.

Birrell, who hails from the Gold Coast, also represented Australia in Junior Fed Cup finals in September in Mexico.

This week she has arrived at Melbourne Park as the top seed in the 18/u Australian Championships girls’ event, in which she heads round robin Group A.

> view Kimberly Birrell’ player profile

Read more about Birrell and other emerging Aussie talents in the December “Summer Special” of Australian Tennis Magazine.