Aussie wrap: Destanee Aiava, Ajla Tomljanovic exit, Alex Bolt, Thanasi Kokkinakis have mixed days
In an afternoon of extreme contrast, Alex Bolt and Thanasi Kokkinakis endured the highs and lows of grand slam battle, while Sam Stosur, Ajla Tomljanovic and Destanee Aiava bowed out of action. AUSSIE WRAP
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In an afternoon of extreme contrast, South Australian pair Alex Bolt and Thanasi Kokkinakis endured the highs and lows of grand slam battle.
Bolt, 26, jubilated in his first grand slam main draw win, three years after opting out of tennis to work as a fence labourer.
The Murray Bridge left-hander’s 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 triumph over former world No 8 Jack Sock was balanced by the desolation of Kokkinakis’ injury-enforced retirement.
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Kokkinakis succumbed to pectoral soreness while leading Japan’s Taro Daniel 5-7 6-4 in yet another injury setback.
Watched by Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and coach Tony Roche, Bolt buzzed with elation after rolling Sock.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling. I went over and gave my mum a bit of a hug, my dad was here, my brother flew over,” Bolt said.
“A couple of other friends from Murray Bridge flew over. It was really nice to play in front of them.”
Bolt out-served Sock with 22 aces to 13.
A gifted southpaw, Bolt previously failed to convert opportunities at the highest level.
Improved self-belief has played a critical role.
“I’m up there playing the best tennis I’ve played. And I still feel I can play better. So, good things are to come,” he said.
Bolt joined countrymen Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, John Millman and Matthew Ebden in the second round.
He will next face French 29th seed Gilles Simon.
Kokkinakis won the first set of Tuesday’s clash with Daniel 7-5 before calling a medical timeout early in the second set to receive treatment on his right shoulder.
The distraught baseliner struggled on for a few more games before submitting.
Kokkinakis’ injury bulletin is depressing.
The 22-year-old also suffered a cracked kneecap last April in a frustrating campaign where he managed just nine tour matches for three wins.
But among those three victories was a win over Roger Federer at the World Tour Masters event in Miami - a tantalising reminder of just what Kokkinakis was capable of when not let down by his fragile body.
STOSUR’S OPEN CURSE CONTINUES IN MELBOURNE
Pressure makes diamonds but for Aussie Sam Stosur, it only made sure of one thing - a swift exit from the Australian Open.
The 34-year-old struggled to withstand relentless Australian Open debutant Dayana Yastremska.
The loss marked Stosur’s third-consecutive first round loss at Melbourne Park, with the 2011 US Open champion capitulating from an early break - at one point leading 4-1 - to lose 12 of the next 15 games.
“I’m so excited. This day will stay forever in my memory,” an emotional Yastremska said.
“With this two weeks, I hope two weeks, I hope people will know more and more (about me).”
The Ukraine showed no nerves, according to Australian former player Jelena Dokic, with the youngster “taking the time away from Sam”.
“This really isn’t a great match-up for Sam, someone with a lot of power, lot of depth, doesn’t give her any time,” she said on Channel 9.
“Sam has made a lot of unforced errors, but I think it has been the pressure from her opponent.”
DASHA CAN FIND WINNING FORMULA
A frustrated Daria Gavrilova is searching for a magic solution to her form slump.
The Australian was visibly irritated throughout her straight sets loss, gesturing and shouting to her support team.
Gavrilova was ranked as high as No.20 in the world in 2017 but has since slipped to No.41 and lost in the first round at both the Brisbane and Sydney Internationals in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
“If I knew, if there was some magic to it, I’d probably use it, a magic pill,” Gavrilova said.
“Sometimes what helps me is when I just get in the zone. Doesn’t matter what you do, just play tough every point. When you’re negative, it’s pretty hard to get in that zone.”
The 24-year-old, who was unseeded, revealed her preparation was disrupted by “niggles” but said the loss was more to do with her mental state.
“There was a lot happening in my head,” Gavrilova said.
“(I was) probably was not confident with where I was at with obviously the previous tournaments.
“I was just probably overthinking things and just not being confident at all.
“I had that many break points that just didn’t go my way.
“I think it’s a lot to do with how I am applying myself, like, mentally. I sometimes just went for too much. Sometimes I was just not doing enough.”
AIAVA OPENS UP ON STRUGGLES AFTER LOSS
Australian teenager Destanee Aiava has revealed the struggles she faces on tour, declaring “life on tour is pretty shit”.
Aiava, who lost her first-round Australian Open match to No.17 seed Madison Keys, says travelling to play tennis is a lonely life.
“Life on tour is pretty shit,” she laughed. “Especially travelling. But that’s what all tennis players have to deal with.
“That’s what I’m learning every day, especially when I go overseas. It’s quite lonely, you have to keep yourself occupied.
“I’m learning every day and just trying to find motivation and happiness in this sport.
“So that’s coming along nicely.”
Aiava said she spends time on the internet, trying to keep her mind off tennis to help keep herself occupied on tour.
“I just do online shopping or watch YouTube videos. That’s pretty much it, just to take my mind off tennis,” she said.
“(I watch) a lot of influencers.
“I’m actually trying to do a YouTube myself but it’s failing.
“(I do) random stuff, nothing to do with tennis because I already do that enough.
“Yesterday I coloured my boyfriend’s hair and we filmed that, so I might post that on YouTube.”
EPIC CLASH ENDS IN HEARTBREAK
Luckless Ajla Tomljanovic has created her own small but unwanted piece of tennis history as the first Australian to bow out of a grand slam tournament in a super-tiebreaker.
The world No.47 dropped serve only once in her opening-round Australian Open clash against Britain’s Johanna Konta but still found herself on the wrong end of a 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (10-7) scoreline in a marathon lasting two hours and 51 minutes.
This year marks the first time that the Australian Open has opted for first-to-10 points tiebreakers to decide matches, rather than the traditional advantage system.
It means all four majors now use different formats to decide close encounters.
“I don’t mind breakers in general; I just wish there was more consistency with the slams,” said the 25-year-old Tomljanovic.
“I feel like everyone just wants to be different.
“But I didn’t lose today because of that.”
Instead, Tomljanovic was left to run a lack of aggression at crucial moments in the third set against the Australian-born Konta, who embarked on a thrilling run to the semis at Melbourne Park three years ago.
“I hate losing in general but here it’s even worse,” said Tomljanovic.
“I had a tough first round, she’s a great player and she played a high level throughout the whole match.
“In the third set I was always the one up on serve and I didn’t get any looks at all on her serve.
“I thought I just hung in there and in the important moments I maybe wasn’t aggressive enough.
“I guess she took control more or wanted it more.”
Konta’s second-round opponent will be Spanish No.18 seed Garbine Muguruza, who ousted Zheng Saisai from China 6-2 6-3.
Originally published as Aussie wrap: Destanee Aiava, Ajla Tomljanovic exit, Alex Bolt, Thanasi Kokkinakis have mixed days
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