3 minute read
Bernard Tomic has battled back from match point down to set up an all-Queensland Australian Open qualifying showdown with John-Patrick Smith.
Bernard Tomic is one match away from enjoying another shot at the Australian Open - but only after admitting he was doomed against a crestfallen Perth teenager.
The always-unpredictable Aussie admitted he was resigned to being knocked out of his second-round match in Doha against 19-year-old Tristan Schoolkate, who served a double fault when holding match point.
Instead, Tomic survived to set up an all-Australian showdown against his Townsville friend John-Patrick Smith, with the winner guaranteed to be at February's championships in Melbourne after a spell in quarantine.
The 28-year-old could not believe he was still left to fight another day after Schoolkate served two consecutive doubles, the second gifting Tomic the crucial break back in his 6-4 1-6 7-6 (10-3) win.
"When he broke me at 4-4, I thought that was it, I thought I was done. I should have lost it," Tomic told AAP.
"Hundred per cent, I thought it had gone, the level he was playing at - easy top-100 level - so I just tried to hold him to 30-all in that game and knew then there was a chance."
Tomic was full of praise for his young opponent, adamant that Schoolkate, the lowest-ranked player in the qualifiers at world No.839, didn't choke as he lost in the new first-to-10-points tiebreak decider.
"He does go for his second serve, he likes to change direction. It's a smart move which was working for him the whole match," said Tomic.
"It's just a bit of focus, he's got a good future - if he does the right thing, he'll get to the the world top 100."
Schoolkate, though, was bereft despite playing a superbly aggressive game.
"We'll have to explain this story numerous times - but it's tough," he told AAP, while just about keeping his emotions in check.
"I tried to go for it and missed - it's a tough one to swallow."
Following a draining contest that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours in the Qatar heat, though, this was a performance of real steel and spirit from the oft-maligned Tomic.
"He took it to me today and I was lucky and won," said Tomic. "I'm fighting well. I've played a lot of matches the last four, five weeks, winning many of the three-setters."
He faces a tough one against Smith, who he's been practising with in Doha and who beat Tomic in their only previous match six years ago.
"JP" enjoyed a huge win, coming from a set down to defeat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, ranked 160 places higher than the 31-year-old Townsville journeyman, 2-6 6-3 6-4.
Both men admit to feeling a little beaten up.
"I'm hanging on by a thread - my whole body is aching," said Smith.
"But if I get the win tomorrow, everything will have been worth it."
The other Australian left with a shot at a Melbourne place is Penrith teenager Dane Sweeny, who was given a walkover into the final qualifier after his American opponent Denis Kudla tested positive for COVID-19.
The 19-year-old will face Ukraine veteran Sergiy Strakhovsky, best known for his sensational defeat of Roger Federer on Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2013.
Schoolkate, who shares a house in Brisbane with Sweeny, said: "It's going to be tough watching the last round but I'll be out there getting behind him, trying to get him over the line."
