Australian player Arina Rodionova has enjoyed her comeback to the WTA, securing a surprise victory against Italian player Martina Trevisan in their first match at the Brisbane International.
The 33-year-old managed to overcome an early deficit in both sets and emerged victorious with a score of 6-3 6-2 in the first match of the tournament at Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday. Their opponent, Trevisan, achieved her highest ranking of 18 in May.
Australia’s top-ranked female player, Rodionova, ranked No.114 in the world, received a wildcard to participate in her first major tournament in almost two years.
She has put in great effort to regain her physical strength, successfully overcoming a wrist injury in 2022. This year, she has been dominating at the lower-level ITF tournaments, resulting in a significant rise from No.302 in the global rankings.
Rodionova has achieved an impressive seven ITF singles titles and 78 victories this year and will now compete against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin from the United States in the second round.
“Today was such a great experience – it’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun on the court,” expressed Rodionova.
I took a break for a period of eight months. It was a challenging time, but I returned last year and have since played over 100 matches. I am currently feeling very self-assured when I’m on the court.
“Don’t underestimate your health – as you can see, I’m truly enjoying myself out here.”
Alexei Popyrin emerged victorious in a thrilling match against fellow Australian Chris O’Connell to kick off the start of the tennis season in Brisbane.
The 40th ranked player in the world emerged victorious after a grueling first-round match at the Brisbane International on Sunday, winning 6-4 6-7 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) in a match that lasted over three hours.
Popyrin’s big serve was never broken and he controlled things early, but world No.68 O’Connell dug in his heels until a trio of costly misses in the third-set tiebreak cost him.
In the third set, O’Connell narrowly missed a powerful forehand and then made a mistake on an easy volley, followed by a missed backhand.
The Sydney man put in a strong effort, despite his usually calm demeanor. He had been working on boats before his successful 82-win season in the lower tiers in 2019, which boosted his ranking from beyond 1000 to nearly the top 100.
Currently, O’Connell and Popyrin are among the top 116 male Australian players in the world, along with eight others.
Popyrin commented on the intense battle that took place during the final match of the year, expressing admiration for the competition.
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“If I had not maintained my concentration, I would have easily lost this match.”
“If he keeps up this level of play, he will definitely accomplish great things this summer.”
In 2023, Popyrin experienced a significant increase in his performance and now has his sights set on making deeper runs in grand slam tournaments in 2024. Although he has reached the third round five times, he has yet to advance further.
On Monday’s day session, the winner of the match between American Ben Shelton and Russia’s Roman Safiullin will face off against each other on Pat Rafter Arena.
Sloane Stephens from the United States emerged victorious against Czech competitor Katerina Siniakova with a score of 7-5 and 6-3. Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem from Austria narrowly made it through qualifying rounds, defeating Italian player Giulio Zeppieri, ranked 135 in the world, with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Thiem pulled off a remarkable comeback against Australian player James McCabe on Saturday. He saved three match points when a brown snake appeared on the court, causing a delay in the game.
In his return from injury, the Spanish legend Rafael Nadal may potentially face him in the first round as he has been paired with a qualifier.
Before playing in their respective singles matches on Monday or Tuesday, Andy Murray and Nadal will also compete in separate doubles matches.
Source: theguardian.com
