AO WC Playoff #1

After a week's holiday in Las Vegas with some of his tennis mates from the USA and elsewhere, Greg returned to Sydney for a few days. Then it was back to Melbourne to get into training for the Australian Summer of Tennis, starting with the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off, where the winner receives direct entry into the Main Draw of the singles of the Open.

With Greg being the fourth highest ranked player in Australia, and Tomic and Ebden ranked in the top 100 and Lleyton Hewitt already deservedly receiving wild card, Greg is the No.1 seed in the draw, of 24 players and received a bye through the first round of the play-off. In the 2nd round his opponent was teenager 19 year-old Queenslander Gavin Van Peperzeel, currently ranked 1056, a match Greg should deal with but for which he will be nervous.

Greg on Court

With Greg serving first, both players held serve before a double fault and a couple of winners from Van Peperzeel had Greg facing break-point. A dubious line-call gave Van Peperzeel the break and a 2-1 lead. Greg remonstrated with the umpire about the line-call and then really got fired up, breaking Van Peperzeel immediately to level the score at 2-2 then reeled off another seven straight games. He broke Van Peperzeel three times to win the first set 6-2.

Greg started the second set in the same vein, going to a a 3-0 lead and having a breakpoint to go 4-0 up but Van Peperzeel was able to hold serve for 3-1. Greg was serving well and was untroubled on serve in the 2nd set, going on to lead 5-2 and have three match points before Van Peperzeel held for 5-3, forcing Greg to serve out the match. Greg stepped up and showed his class by serving 3 first serve bombs and an ace to win the game and the set 6-3 and the match 6-2, 6-3 and progress to the quarter-final round.

Greg only plays again on Friday, as Thursday is a rest day.

Greg also helped out at the Draw for the play-off. View video on the Tennis Australia web-site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RyZmOagxMmk#t=0s