ID :
207578
Fri, 09/16/2011 - 16:21
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/207578
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Tomic gives Australia Davis Cup lead
SYDNEY (AAP) -16.09.2011-Bernard Tomic has given Australia an ideal start to their Davis Cup tie against Switzerland, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 in the opening rubber at Royal Sydney.
The World No.59 battled back from a set down to Wawrinka, winning the match in 2 hours and 26 minutes in warm conditions at the grass court venue.
The Australians had targeted beating Wawrinka in his two singles matches as the most likely path to winning the tie, with the Swissapparently carrying a foot injury and holding a less than stellar 9-13 record on the surface.
But that counted for little in a first set dominated by the world No.19.
Tomic started sluggishly and appeared to have some difficulty coming to grips with the uneven bounce of the court while Wawrinka made light of his results on grass by mixing his backcourt game with successful ventures to the net.
Then, after serving his way out of trouble to move to 5-4 in the second set, Tomic stepped up a gear to claim the break and the set with a lofted up the line winner.
The third set proved a topsy-turvey affair with three breaks of serve and plenty of unforced errors but Tomic held firm to take a set advantage.
After staving off a break point in the fourth game of the fourth set the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist found his groove, breaking Wawrinka in the fifth and ninth games, punctuating the performance with a backhand down the line winner to take the match.
The victory continues Tomic's bright introduction to Davis Cup, the lanky Queenslander now with a 4-0 singles record in the competition.
Lleyton Hewitt plays Roger Federer in the second singles match on Friday.
Federer holds a 17-8 record over Hewitt but the Australian can claim the last match they played - a 2010 victory over the Swiss in the final at Halle, on grass.
The winner of the tie progresses to the World Group in 2012 while the loser will play zonal qualifiers in a bid to get back to the top tier competition in 2013.
The World No.59 battled back from a set down to Wawrinka, winning the match in 2 hours and 26 minutes in warm conditions at the grass court venue.
The Australians had targeted beating Wawrinka in his two singles matches as the most likely path to winning the tie, with the Swissapparently carrying a foot injury and holding a less than stellar 9-13 record on the surface.
But that counted for little in a first set dominated by the world No.19.
Tomic started sluggishly and appeared to have some difficulty coming to grips with the uneven bounce of the court while Wawrinka made light of his results on grass by mixing his backcourt game with successful ventures to the net.
Then, after serving his way out of trouble to move to 5-4 in the second set, Tomic stepped up a gear to claim the break and the set with a lofted up the line winner.
The third set proved a topsy-turvey affair with three breaks of serve and plenty of unforced errors but Tomic held firm to take a set advantage.
After staving off a break point in the fourth game of the fourth set the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist found his groove, breaking Wawrinka in the fifth and ninth games, punctuating the performance with a backhand down the line winner to take the match.
The victory continues Tomic's bright introduction to Davis Cup, the lanky Queenslander now with a 4-0 singles record in the competition.
Lleyton Hewitt plays Roger Federer in the second singles match on Friday.
Federer holds a 17-8 record over Hewitt but the Australian can claim the last match they played - a 2010 victory over the Swiss in the final at Halle, on grass.
The winner of the tie progresses to the World Group in 2012 while the loser will play zonal qualifiers in a bid to get back to the top tier competition in 2013.
