3 minute read
Ajla Tomljanovic is ready for her biggest Wimbledon match - with or without the courtside help of her number one fan Matteo Berrettini.
Matteo Berrettini, one-half of a flourishing tennis double act at Wimbledon, flouted a rule he shared with his Australian girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic when he turned up to watch the deciding set of her second round match.
As it turned out, she was rather glad he did.
"Usually when we both play on the same day, we don't come to each other's matches and we won't come in the middle of a match. Maybe it's been a superstition thing," reflected Tomljanovic.
"But he did say that when he saw me lose my second set 6-0 (to Alize Cornet), he said, 'okay, I think you needed a little bit more energy' so he came to cheer me on."
Suitably buoyed by the presence at courtside of her Italian partner who's fancied as a genuine contender to win the men's title here, the Australian No.2 found a new lease of life in Thursday's match and recorded what she felt was a "pretty special" three-set win.
She hasn't seen the schedule for Saturday when both will be in third round action but has no worries about Berrettini, the No.7 seed.
"He's been going on good runs in tournaments every week - it's nothing new for him and I'm sure he's going to do well again (against Aljaz Bedene) but it was nice that he came and watched."
Berrettini will be playing at the same time as Tomljanovic on Saturday and she may need all the help she can get in her own tie against Jelena Ostapenko, who seems to have rediscovered her old French Open-winning mojo, having just won the Eastbourne International tournament.
The Latvian will start a warm favourite, having beaten Tomljanovic at May's Italian Open, and the Queenslander is wary of grand predictions after threatening so many breakthroughs yet still not having made a slam fourth round since the French Open in 2014.
Yet Ostapenko, famously, can run hot and cold.
"She's got a big game; there's not really much left to the imagination. You know what to expect with her. When she's on, it's tough," said Tomljanovic.
"But if you weather the storm and take your chances, you have your shot. I think I did that in Rome, but I came up short.
"No doubt, though, that she's playing really well and she's on - but I've got nothing to lose going into that third round."
With Berrettini otherwise engaged, Tomljanovic knows of another luminary who'll be cheering her on - the 18-time grand slam champion Chris Evert, her old mentor and neighbour back at her Florida base.
"Actually she called me right after I won against Cornet - she always does," said Tomljanovic.
"And what she's always big on is me mentally believing in myself and fighting to the last point. I'm pretty proud of doing that against Cornet."
AUSTRALIANS IN SINGLES ACTION ON SATURDAY'S DAY SIX OF WIMBLEDON (PREFIX NUMBER DENOTES SEEDING):
Women's Singles
1-Ash Barty v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Ajla Tomljanovic v Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
Men's Singles
Nick Kyrgios v 16-Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
James Duckworth v 23-Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Jordan Thompson v Ilya Ivashka (BLR)
