Greg’s New Year saw him in Brisbane to contest the qualifying at the Brisbane International ATP 250 tournament. Greg was seeded No.7 in the qualifying draw, in which 4 of the 32 contestants qualify for the main draw.
Briefly, as the event was held last Saturday and Sunday, Greg played 28 year-old Australian Sadik Kadir, currently ranked 389 in the first round. In a close 1st set Greg saved one break point and held break point on Sadik’s serve on 3 occasions but could not convert, games going with serve to 5-5. Greg then applied more pressure and broke Sadik to lead 6-5 and the serve out the set 7-5. In the 2nd set Greg broke Sadik in the 1st and 3rd games, holding his own serve to go to a 4-0 lead and then cruised to a 7-5, 6-2 win.
The 2nd round saw him up against another Australian, this time 23 year-old former US College player Kaden Hensel, who had improved his ranking from over 1000 to his personal high of 435 in less than a year. On a 31 degree very humid morning it was a close 1st set in which Greg did not give up a break point but could not convert break opportunities of Hensel’s serve, games going with serve to 6-6. In the tie-break a frustrated Greg played a few loose points and found himself 5-1 down. He dug deep and turned the set around, winning 5 points in a row, getting to 6-5 up serving for the set. His run did not continue and Hensel broke back. Greg had another set point on Hensel’s serve and saved a couple of set points as well, but it was Hensel who got the break and pouched the tiebreak 9-7 and the 1st set 7-6.
Greg said that in the humidity they were both drained and both took a toilet break for as long as was possible to try and recover. Greg said Hensel looked in worse shape than he and it showed as Greg broke early to race to a 3-1 lead in the 2nd set. The heaven’s then opened up and a long rain delay ensued. On the resumption Hensel had recovered somewhat and held serve with Greg 3-2 up. Greg served for 4-2, then broke Hensel and served out the set, winning 6-2. One set all.
Greg said that Hensel then served 4 first serves to win the 1st game. In a long 2nd game, in which Greg said he served 5 first serves, luck was on Hensel’s side as he cracked two return winners, a dead let cord return and a shanked lob winner return to break Greg. Hensel then cracked another 4 first serves to close Greg out and go to a 3-0 lead. In another long game an increasingly confident Hensel again forced Greg to deuce and then broke to lead 4-0. Another good service game, in which he served his first 2nd serve of the set, saw Hensel lead 5-0, winning the set 6-1 and the match 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1.
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