Back in Oz - Traralgon Challenger 1 #3

Traralgon Town Hall

Persistent driven rain delayed the players getting on court on Monday morning for the final round of qualifying and it wasn't until early afternoon that the rain had abated and the courts dried so that the players could hit-up and attempt a start of the match. But it was not to be a the wind blew in more rain squalls and frustrated any further attempts to play for the day. And so it was to Tuesday before the final qualifying matches could be played, and the winners of those matches the would have to back-up and play a first round match a few hours later.

Bumpei Sato

With the wind howling a gale and very light rain falling intermittently on a miserable maximum 18 degree day, the player's reluctantly took the courts on Tuesday morning. Greg's opponent was 28 year-old Japanese Bumpei Sato, currently at his high ranking of 161 - a player who would be more used to indoors in that type of weather in Japan - but who made the quarter-finals of the same tournament last year.
Greg again got off to the perfect start, holding serve then breaking Sato and then holding serve again in the howling wind, to lead 3-0. He repeated the breaks twice more to pouch the first set 6-0 against Sato.
Greg then  inexplicably dropped his serve for Sato to get on the board at 1-0 in the second set but quickly bounced back to break Sato immediately to level at 1-1. Greg then skipped away, winning the next five games to record an quick 6-0, 6-1 victory, to advance to the Main Draw of the tournament. A much needed quick win on a day that he will be required to play two matches.
Greg said the win was the worst he had encountered at Traralgon, a notoriously windy venue, with some balls being blown across court at 45 degrees on a first serve. You shaped up for a backhand and then had to adjust to play a forehand, with shanked shots being the norm. On some points you just had to laugh and get on with the next point. Hopefully the wind would lessen in intensity by late afternoon when Greg was to play his first round Main Draw match, against fellow Aussie and good mate Matt Reid.