The first round of qualifying for the Tiburon Challenger threw up an incredible coincidence. Greg, seeded 6 for the qualifying, faced the same player he had played in the first round of qualifying in Sacramento, USA junior 17 year-old Mackenzie McDonald, unranked as yet in the ATP senior rankings. Ranked 17 in the ITF Juniors, McDonald had pushed Greg to three sets and almost caused an upset.
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| Tiburon Peninsula's waterfont houses |
With McDonald serving first, Greg was keen to assert his authority and immediately had McDonald defending break points in the first game but McDonald held firm and games went to 1-1. Greg again had two break point opportunities but McDonald again responded and held serve, games going to 3-3, with Greg dominant on his own serve.
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| Maclenzie McDonald at the Orange Bowl |
McDonald then held serve to lead 4-3 and got Greg to deuce, then brought up a break-point of his own. It was Greg's turn to defend and critical that he held serve at that point of the set, which he did, games going to 5-5. Greg then forced McDonald to deuce, then break-point, coverting the opportunity to lead 6-5. McDonald fought hard to break back getting Greg to deuce twice, then to defend a break point but Greg held firm to win the game and the first set 7-5.
Greg did not want to give McDonald any thought of getting back into the match and broke his serve in the first game to go a break up at 1-0. Greg held serve and then broke McDonald again to take a stranglehold in the match. But McDonald mounted a fight back, forcing Greg to 30-40 in his next game. Greg rose to the challenge and saved the break-point and held to lead 4-0, denying McDonald any chance of a come-back. Games went with serve to 5-1, whereupon Greg again broke a dispirited McDonald to win the set 6-1 and a hard fought match 7-5, 6-1.
And so to the second round of qualifying, still two matches to win to qualify.
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