Brisbane International Matchday Review

Alexander Bebendorf

Wednesday night marked the first appearance of tennis in this series, with a visit to the Brisbane International night session beginning at 6:30 pm. Two matches were scheduled on Pat Rafter Arena: first, Australian Kimberly Birrell against American Amanda Anisimova, currently ranked third on the WTA Tour. Birrell’s birthplace of Düsseldorf was a small coincidence given my own Köln background. The second match was a men’s doubles contest, featuring Australian favourites Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis against French pairing Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. This tournament formed part of yet another injury comeback attempt for Kyrgios, who had already exited the singles draw earlier in the week.

Getting There

Tennis ticketing differs from most sports, with spectators purchasing access to a session rather than a specific match, often without knowing who will be playing at the time of booking. The process itself was simple, with tickets priced just under $100. I drove to Tennyson and parked at a nearby golf club before an easy walk to the venue, while many fans arrived via train. Entry was exceptionally quick, with minimal queues and no real delays. However, exiting afterwards was a terrible logjam.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Straightforward ticketing and smooth access, with the session-based uncertainty and the traffic when leaving being the drawbacks.

The Venue

The Queensland Tennis Centre opened in 2009, with Pat Rafter Arena serving as its centre court. The stadium holds approximately 5,500 spectators and features a steep, oval-shaped wraparound design that offers strong sightlines from all seating areas. The venue was clean, modern, and well maintained, with a comfortable atmosphere throughout the evening.

Rating: ★★★★☆

An intimate and well-designed arena that suits tennis perfectly, even if it lacks the scale of larger international venues.

Food and Drink

Food options were modest but sufficient, with a small café and several food vans offering staples such as burgers, chips, calamari, hot dogs, ice cream, milkshakes, and similar casual fare.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Perfectly adequate for a tennis session, though limited in variety compared to larger stadium experiences.

Crowd and Atmosphere

The arena appeared close to full, with many spectators also milling around the outer grounds between matches. The crowd was noticeably mixed, though skewing slightly older than those seen at other events in this series. As expected, the atmosphere was vastly different to football or basketball: silence during points, polite applause after rallies, and occasional cheers or chants during breaks. Support was clearly behind the Australians, particularly during the doubles, where the crowd became more animated and playful.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

A respectful and engaged tennis crowd that created a pleasant, if restrained, atmosphere.

The Matches Themselves

In the opening singles match, Anisimova asserted control early, breaking Birrell in the second game. She went on to claim the match 6–1, 6–4 in one hour and three minutes, largely dictating play throughout.

The doubles match began disastrously for Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, who were broken repeatedly and lost the first set 0–6, with the French pair barely making errors and ending points efficiently. The Australians responded strongly in the second set, lifting their energy and reducing mistakes to win 6–1. But despite the crowd’s best efforts, Doumbia and Reboul held their nerve to take the match tiebreak 10–8. The doubles contest lasted exactly one hour and felt noticeably faster-paced and lighter in tone than the singles, drawing greater crowd engagement.

In terms of quality, both matches were solid if uneven, with the doubles proving the more entertaining spectacle.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Clear contrasts in momentum and energy made for an engaging session, particularly in the doubles.

Final Thoughts

Tennis offered a completely different matchday experience to anything else in this series so far. The quieter rhythms, session-based format, and polite crowd behaviour stood in sharp contrast to the raw noise and emotion of football and basketball. While the on-court quality fluctuated, the overall experience was relaxed, enjoyable, and uniquely suited to a summer evening. As a first taste of live tennis in Australia, it was a strong and worthwhile addition to this sporting journey.