Australian Open qualification: Only two Germans further, Tomic fights his way through, Bouchard out
With Dustin Brown and Cedric-Marcel Stebe , only two Germans are in the qualifying final of the Australian Open 2021. The two get international company from Bernard Tomic and Carlos Alcaraz , among others. For the women, however, a former Wimbledon finalist had to pack her bags.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jan 12, 2021, 07:18 pm
Two out of seven - that's the mixed balance of the German starters on day three of the Australian Open qualification. Only Cedric-Marcel Stebe and Dustin Brown bought the ticket for the all-important third qualifying round . Stebe beat Rinky Hijikata 6: 4 and 6: 2, Brown defeated Carlos Taberner 6: 3 and 7: 5.
The 36-year-old now meets Maxime Cressy, who defeated Yannick Maden 2: 6, 6: 3 and 6: 4. With Maximilian Marterer (3: 6 and 4: 6 vs. Taro Daniel) and Julian Lenz (2: 6 and 2: 6 vs. Damir Dzumhur) two other Germans were eliminated in the second qualifying round alongside Maden.
From an international point of view, the Australian Bernard Tomic caused a sensation with his 6: 4, 1: 6 and 7: 6 (3) victory over compatriot Tristan Schoolkate. The 28-year-old born in Stuttgart, who was once considered a candidate for Grand Slam victories, fended off a match point in a highly intense encounter. Youngster Carlos Alcaraz didn't have to fight that hard. The Spaniard beat Evgeny Karlovskiy in two tie breaks.
No German increase in the women
In the women's category, not a single player from Germany made it into the third round: Both Antonia Lottner (1: 6 and 3: 6 vs. Ysaline Bonaventure) and Katharina Gerlach (3: 6 and 4: 6 vs. Mayo Hibi) lost their games clear.
It was similar for Eugenie Bouchard: The Wimbledon finalist of 2014 was defeated by Yue Yuan 2: 6 and 4: 6. The two former top players Sara Errani and Tsvetana Pironkova, however, still have the opportunity to secure a place in the main field of the Australian Open.