Under blue skies more redolent of her Gold Coast home than London, Kim Birrell has achieved the unenviable distinction of being the first player knocked out of this year’s Wimbledon championships.

The 27-year-old, making her debut at the grass court slam, never recovered from a nervy start in which she surrendered the first set to No.22 seed Donna Vekic.

Any thoughts that she might benefit from a London heatwave that had spectators seeking any shade they could find had quickly evaporated.

A much-improved battling second set prompted hope, at 4-4, of forcing a third, but the experienced Croatian then took the last two games to complete a 6-0, 6-4 victory in 79 minutes.

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Birrell, who saved one match point but then sent a forehand long on the second, left the English capital with some hard-earned experience and £66,000 ($A138,500) as her reward for battling through qualifying.

She was the first of seven Australians in the women’s singles with Olivia Gadecki, Ajla Tomljanovic and Tahlia Gibson due on court later on Monday.