John Millman scrapes past Greece’s Michail Pervolarakis in ATP Cup tie
An ankle injury and a world No.486 ranking didn’t stop Greece’s Michail Pervolarakis giving John Millman the fright of his life in their ATP Cup tie at Pat Rafter Arena.
Tennis
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tennis. Followed categories will be added to My News.
John Millman survived a huge scare from minnow Michail Pervolarakis to give Australia a 1-0 lead in their ATP Cup Group F tie over Greece at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday night.
Despite being restricted by an ankle injury he suffered in the second set, world No.486 Pervolarakis pushed Brisbane boy Millman all the way before the Queenslander prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 in two hours and 26 minutes.
The match would have been a huge wake-up call for world No.48 Millman, who was riding high following his straight sets win over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday.
Earlier, Australian star Alex de Minaur withdrew from the tie.
Watch every single KFC BBL match LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO with FOX CRICKET’s unmatched commentary line-up. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
With Australia having already qualified for the quarter-finals, captain Lleyton Hewitt has made the decision to rest de Minaur, the team’s number one singles player, who has had successive three-set wins over Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.
Nick Kyrgios, who missed Australia’s 3-0 win over Canada with a sore back, returned and was set to meet Greece’s number one player and reigning ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in Tuesday night’s second singles match.
It meant Millman, who replaced Kyrgios on Sunday, opened the tie against Greece’s Michail Pervolarakis.
And any thoughts Millman would have an easy night against a player ranked 438 places lower than him were quickly dispelled.
Pervolarakis stunned Millman and the Brisbane crowd, winning the first set 6-4 in 45 minutes.
The 23-year-old right-hander broke Millman’s serve in the fifth game and stayed strong with his own serve for the rest of the set to give Greece the early advantage.
Millman responded, racing out to a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Pervolarakis then called for a medical time-out after appearing to twist his ankle in the final point of the fourth game.
There were fears the hobbling Pervolarakis might have been forced to retire from the match.
However after the time-out, he returned to court with his right ankle heavily strapped.
Millman closed out the set 6-1, but his Greek opponent was far from finished despite his restricted movement.
Pervolarakis made Millman fight all the way in the third set, with the hometown hero needing a tie-breaker, which he won convincingly 7-1, to finally dispose of the gutsy Greek
Originally published as John Millman scrapes past Greece’s Michail Pervolarakis in ATP Cup tie