The Australian Open Juniors got underway yesterday with a large group of Aussie girls and boys competing in their opening rounds.
Tournament first-seed and Australian hopeful Emerson Jones took on Anastasia Lizunova to start her Australian Open Juniors campaign after her first-round appearance in the main draw.
Both girls held serve until Jones took the initiative and broke in the sixth game forcing errors off the racquet of Lizunova to lead 4-2. The junior No.1 then consolidated with the help of a backhand winner. Lizunova held to force Jones to serve for the set. Jones held comfortably, including two winners in her service game to wrap up the set.
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The Aussie matched her first set performance with aggression and stepping up onto the court. She once again broke twice and outplayed her opponent to take the match 6-3, 6-3.
Alame raced to a swift lead over Efremova with strong hitting from the baseline pressing into the net, but Efremova went for big shots to take the second set 6-0, forcing a third.
However, the Aussie took charge in the second, stepping up into the court to break in the first game of the third. Alame found her rhythm to break again for 3-2, stepping up on serve to consolidate and lead 4-2. Efremova then held comfortably to make it 4-3. Alame came to the net to finish her service game off with a forehand volley winner, for a 5-3 lead. The Aussie then broke serve once again in a nail-biting final game to take the set 6-3.
Ava Beck succumbed to British ninth seed Xu Mingge who dominated from the get-go, 6-1, 6-2, while Wildcard Jizelle Sibai was beaten by Japanese qualifier Shiho Tsujioka in straights.
In the boy's draw, the lone Aussie winner was Cruz Hewitt, defeating Korean qualifier Moobeen Kim, 6-3, 6-3. The Aussie broke in the broke game which proved decisive for the first set. Both players then continued to hold serve with aggressive baseline play. The Aussie kept moving forward towards the net to press the Korean into a defensive position. He further used big serving to hold and go up 5-3. A stunning inside-in forehand forced an error from the Korean’s racquet, with the Aussie breaking and taking the first set.
The second begins with tiresome rallies and great depth by both players, aggressively continuing to hold serve. But the Aussie broke through in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and serve for the match. Hewitt swiftly closed out the match to a standing ovation from a packed crowd.
Hewitt, 16, will now face No.1 seed Jan Kumstát in the second-round.
Daniel Jovanovski faced fourth-seeded American Jack Kennedy, falling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4). With big-hitting and aggressive tennis, the Aussie took the first set 6-3. The young Aussie engaged the crowd motioning for support as he closed out the set. But he was unable to continue with this positive momentum, losing the second set 6-3. Despite having match points, he was unable to close out the third set eventually losing it 7-6 (4).
Cooper Kose faced tenth seed American Maxwell Exsted, falling in a close 6-3, 6-4 battle.
Ethan Domingo faced off against Sweden’s Ludvig Fredrik Hede. The Swede proved too strong taking the match 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Wildcard Nikolas Baker took on Kazakhstan's Zangar Nurlanuly, losing a tight battle. He lost the first set 6-2. But in the second set, he fought hard and broke Nurlanuly’s serve in a crucial seventh game that went to deuce seven times. This gave him a 4-3 lead. He consolidated the break, with errors flying off the racquet of Nurlanuly. He broke once again to take the set 6-3 and force a third. But Nurlanuly outplayed the Aussie in the third to take the decider 6-3.
Today, 10 more Australian juniors take the court in another day of first-round action.
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