Oz Summer Tour continued Update #6

The final of the Men's singles in the Challenger tounament in Burnie, Tasmania and on a bright and sunny day with little wind Greg, seeded No.7, faced up against top Australian Junior Bernard Tomic, winner of two Junior Grand Slam titles (Oz and US) and youngest player to ever win a singles match at the Australian Open. Bernard, currently ranked 289, was a late entry into the tournament and was forced to go through qualifying, as wild cards had already been given out prior to his entry, winning 6 matches to reach the final, including playing two 3 set matches in one day due to rain on Thursday evening. In their last meeting Bernard had trounced Greg in straght sets, but Greg was in good form having dropped only one set on the way to his final.

Serving 1st Greg got off to a confident start, holding serve, but so did Tomic, games going with serve to 2-2. Tomic then forced a few errors off Greg, having two break points with Greg at 15-40. Some good serving saw Greg save those points, then save two more break points, but not the 5th break-point of the game, Tomic going 3-2 up. Tomic served well for a 4-2 lead. Greg then held serve well but could not get a read on Tomic's serve, losing the 1st set 6-4.

Greg started the 1st set with 2 great serves, but Tomic pegged him back to 30-30, then deuce, when Greg served a double fault. Two points later and Tomic had broken Greg to lead 1-0, then 2-0 after a good service game. Tomic then got Greg to 15-40 and after breaking Greg again, had a strangle-hold on the match when he served another good game for a 4-0 lead. Greg held serve easily after that but could make no in-roads into Tomic's service games, Tomic running out a 6-4, 6-2 winner in a surprisingly quick match.

Greg said it was such a frustrating match. He said Tomic has such a strange game that it is very difficult to get into the match. Tomic strokes the ball, mostly with not much pace, but is very accurate, working the lines and the corners, able to change direction easily, and then is able to quickly change pace, whipping a winner. He gives his opponent no pace to work with, so by trying to generate pace you make errors, otherwise you play at Tomic's pace and he dictates play. His serve is also not tremendously fast but is naggingly accurate. Difficult to play but that is his strength and how he wins the matches and the tournaments.