Omar Jasika banned over cocaine

Four years after winning the US Open boys championship, Omar Jasika has been left devastated by drugs ban.

Omar Jasika during his opening round match against Matthew Dellavedova in Melbourne. Picture: Michael Klein

Four years after winning the US Open boys championship, Omar Jasika has been banned for two years after recording a positive test in Melbourne last December.

The left-handed has not played since March as he awaited the completion of ASADA hearings into the circumstances for his test.

The left-hander was competing in a playoff for a wildcard into their year’s Australian Open when he tested positive to cocaine.

The 21-year-old is said to be devastated by the circumstances he has found himself in.

When contacted by The Australian recently, he declined to comment when asked about the positive test.

Jasika, who practiced with Novak Djokovic during this year’s Australian Open, played four tournaments between the positive test and receiving notification.

He last played in an ITF event in Australia, where he reached a quarter-final.

He also reached a quarter-final at a Challenger event in Adelaide to start the season.

Although his progression to senior ranks did not come with the same rapid progression as that made by Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur, he was nonetheless on track to move towards a top 100 ranking of he was able to find consistency in form and motivation.

At the start of last year, he looked on track to make the sometimes difficult transition from junior to senior ranks.

He made a Challenger final in January and then won a title at that level in Burnie, Tasmania, after an opening round loss to David Ferrer at the Australian Open.

While still a teenager, he had a good win over Ilya Marchenko at the Australian Open and showed promise in a second round encounter against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.

The ranks of those who competed in the US Open boys championship he won in 2014 are also strong.

He defeated Quentin Halys, who has peaked at a ranking of 102, in the final.

But a beaten semi-finalist was Frances Tiafoe, who Alex de Minaur defeated yesterday in New York.

Andrey Rublev, a Russian talent, was a quarter-finalist.