Bernard Tomic once again shoulders Australian hopes when he plays Sam Querrey in round two of the Australian Open.
Tomic will be mightily relieved to be playing the night session on day three of the Aussie Open after suffering considerably in the brutal daytime heat on Monday. The 19 year old came into the tournament having won the Kooyong Classic but a Grand Slam is a different ball game and at two sets down against Fernando Verdasco, things weren't looking too clever for Australia's brightest hope.
However he showed remarkable resilience for one so young to push the contest to a decider and ultimately outlast Verdasco 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.
“It was probably one of the best matches for me that I played,” Tomic said. “You know, I haven’t played a lot of these five-setters. So being not that fit, it’s tough to put your mind to come through that, and I don’t know how I did it today ... I’m so happy with myself.”
Tomic is happiest as a counter-puncher but faced with the power and spin from Verdasco's racket he found himself needing to step up the court more and he'll need more of the same against Querrey, a man who lives and dies by his serve.
The American lost his first two matches of the season but he took out France's Kenny De Schepper 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Monday. Look for Tomic to come through this one in straight sets.
