"Prize money of 260 million won? I should pay off my house loan first." After enduring for 14 hours, she finally secured her first victory... The 'reality check' from a 28-year-old bride-to-be.

*This content was translated by AI.

She secured an enormous prize with her first-ever US Open singles victory. However, for Kim Burell (Australia), a 28-year-old bride-to-be about to get married, the first thing that came to mind was not lavish spending, but rather paying off her house loan.

The UK's The Guardian reported on the 1st (Korea time) that "Burell secured a prize of 265,000 Australian dollars (approximately 260 million won) by advancing to the second round of the US Open" and added, "She plans to use this prize money for her wedding."

On August 31, Burell defeated Croatia's Petra Martic 2-1 (3-6, 7-6<7-4>, 6-3) in the first round of the women's singles at the 2026 US Open held in New York, USA.

This was an incredibly valuable victory for Burell. She had been eliminated in the first round of the US Open singles tournament for three consecutive years from 2023 to last year. However, she recorded a moving first victory at the tournament on her fourth attempt this year.

The path to victory was also dramatic. After losing the first set, Burell struggled through the second set as well. She found herself on the brink of elimination after allowing match points; one more point lost would have meant immediate exit.

But she did not give up. After saving the match points, Burell won the second set 7-6 in a tight tiebreak. Riding that momentum, she carried her lead through to the final third set, completing a thrilling comeback victory.

She also had to battle against rain. The match was suspended for a full 14 hours due to bad weather. Despite the difficult situation of maintaining match sharpness and physical condition during such a long wait, she ultimately secured the win.

The Guardian reported that "Burell returned to the court after a tense 14-hour rain delay and finally broke her 'first-round jinx'."

After the match, Burell reflected, "I woke up around 5 a.m., fully alert. I felt ready to step onto the court immediately, but there were still several hours left before my alarm would go off. I tried to calm my mind and clear my thoughts, and fortunately, I was able to fall back asleep."

Through this victory, Burell secured at least 265,000 Australian dollars in prize money. If she defeats Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked world No. 19, in the next second round, her prize money will increase further.

Even Burell, upon hearing the scale of the prize, expressed surprise, saying, "It's really crazy."

However, when asked about her plans for using the prize money, her answer turned out to be surprisingly practical.

Burell is scheduled to hold a wedding with Matt Fraser, who is also her coach, at Kingscliff, Australia, later this year. She smiled and said, "I don't think I'll spend it all here. I will definitely save some of it. It seems like it will be a big help for our wedding later this year. Maybe I can even buy a few more flowers for the ceremony."

She continued, "We also have a house loan," revealing another expenditure plan.

The Guardian reported that "Burell, filled with joy, held off match points and endured sleepless nights before securing a life-changing US Open victory in New York" and added, "She plans to use the prize money to pay off her home mortgage."

The joy of her first victory is expected to be reflected in the world rankings as well. Burell is projected to reach a personal best world ranking of No. 55, an improvement of 16 spots from her current position. The media added that "in this case, Burell will surpass Talia Gibson to become the new women's tennis No. 1 in Australia."

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*This content was translated by AI.