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Verdasco too good for Tomic

Verdasco too good for Tomic

AAP Monday 5 January 2009 13 Comments »

Rising hope Bernard Tomic suggested he could mix it with the big boys of world tennis but followed an Australian trend at the Brisbane International.

In what was always going to be a baptism of fire, Tomic started his senior ATP career in style by winning his serve and then breaking third-seeded Fernando Verdasco in front of a raucous home crowd at Pat Rafter Arena.

Three winners produced the break but the excitement didn’t last long for the 16-year-old Gold Coaster on Monday night.

The Spanish Davis Cup hero quickly bounced back and showed his class to take the first-round clash 6-4 6-2 in a little over an hour.

Despite winning just four of the last 16 games, wildcard Tomic wasn’t disgraced and suggested enough with some booming ground strokes he had the artillery to be worthy addition to the tour.

But he failed to measure up to the world No.16, whose slick win came after girlfriend Ana Ivanovic produced the same scoreline against Petra Kvitova but had a much tougher time of it on centre court.

Tomic seemed to struggle once Verdasco clinched the first set as he won just one of the next nine points as the Spaniard took an early break in the second.

But last year’s Australian Open boys champion showed he possessed some fight by saving break points in his next two service games to close to 2-3.

Despite the tenseness of the situation, the lean Tomic let out a laugh at the change when he caused a stir by changing his shirt, prompting a male spectator to yell out “What’s you number Bernie?”

His loss followed defeats by the entire four man Davis Cup team in qualifying on Sunday and Monday as well as defeats to three other Australian hopefuls.

Victorian journeyman Joe Sirianni is the only other Australian to progress to the main draw, and joins another teenage wildcard in Brydan Klein, after winning his three qualifying matches, and will play his first round clash on Tuesday.

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  • trent

    congrats jo, u played 2 great matches in 1 day to get to the main draw, and i saw you teach peter polansky a lesson in tennis on sun, hope u get a good draw and have a round 1 win…. good luck!!

  • Sue Smith

    How to get there mentioned that Brissie residents were to get free transport but didn’t say the same for Gold Coasters. A pleasant surprise arriving at the train station to find that it’s free for us too, except that because we didn’t know left buying the tickets till the venue so had to pay our way there. Oh well! Great venue will probably swap our annual trip to the Open in Melbourne for Brissie instead!!!!!

  • Sue Smith

    As is often the case at the Open and probably other tennis tournaments, I think the linesmen sometimes forget thy are meant to be watching the lines. I must admit sitting there for such a long time find myself nodding off.
    There were a few blatant misses – at least one in the Mauresmo/Dokic match and another in the Isabella Holland match against Safarova. A linesman at the scoreboard end missed an out ball which was out by at least 30mm, he must not have been looking at the time. Isabella knew it was out but without electronic equipment couldn’t do a thing!!!!

  • James C

    we should all be proud of tomic getting into a tournament like the Brisbane international. its a good learning point for him, he’s only young

  • rommio

    I like Verdasco very much ,his left hand is a big reback!

  • Tony

    Well done Bernard ! A great start to your senior ATP tournament career. I wish you every success for the future !
    …now, Let’s hope the Australian sports media doesn’t place too much pressure on the shoulders of this young fellow too soon. All too often in this country we read, or hear, from our sports media (this web-site excluded) the well trod “expectations of a nation” theme-song and consequential headlines, demanded of our up and coming sports men and women…and those not so young…who would have wanted to be Matthew Hayden going out to bat last Saturday at the SCG…not me…there’s enough psychological pressure in playing the game of tennis (as with most individual sports) point by point, stroke by stroke, as it is, without extra unnecessary media burden. I sincerely hope Bernard Tomic is allowed to develop in the senior ranks at his own pace…without irrelevant comparisons to predecessors in the game and their time frames in achieving success in the open ranks. The seemingly insatiable media appetite for imposing unrealistic expectations for victory and success and the expectations for our young sports men and women and for them to be the quintessential role models of behavior in our community, supposedly to satisfy the demands of the Australian sporting public is all too often too much to bear (and I’m just a reader)! Remember…Bernard is only sixteen years old….still a pup ! PS. I’m not his Mum.

  • Rob E

    Great venue – great atmosphere. Only disappointment is at the Lavazza coffee stands. Why can’t they also provide decaffeinated coffees – any coffee house worth its reputation should be able to sell a FULL range of its products!!!

  • Mark De Stefano

    Good one Bernard Tomic you did verry well ,, more games like this you will be a champ ,, Dont forget Australia there a more kids like Tomic out there , give them a chance Tennis Australia spend some bucks on tranning dozens of our Tallented Kids ,,

  • mat

    Tomic should go back to boys tennis

  • Todd

    Great night for Tennis in Brisbane!

    I thought the line up was great and I think the stadium is awesome.

    My only concern being that being from the inner suburbs of North Brisbane I was “encouraged” by organisers to use public transport. I left for the train at 10:10pm and got in my door on the northside at 12:25am. 2 hours and 15 mins when there is no traffic on the roads is a concern. I can fly to the Open in Melbourne in under 2 hours. Time to get this sort of stuff sorted out guys. Would it hurt to put on a train past 10:30 that doesn’t stop at Bowen Hills when we have an ” international event” in our great city??

  • http://[email protected] Judy

    My husband & I enjoyed a great day yesterday at Rafter arena, only to have it soured by no shuttle transfer to Yeerongpilly railway station after the day session. When I enquired re same, only to be told you just walk!!!?? As my husband is disabled this was not possible, we had to get a taxi to the station. I really got quite upset when told three times by volunteers/bus driver fsor Corinda passengers, you just have to walk???
    So many many very elderly spectators complaining of the same thing. All these shuttle services to Corinda, but it appears, ‘don’t want to know’ about transfers to Yeerongpilly. Getting to the venue in the morning, guess we were just lucky, got a transfer with one of the Centres’ Mini Buses, for which we were truly greatful. Shame the same didn’t happen following such great tennis during the day session.

  • Ace Ventura

    Well done bernard , you have hi-lighted how many juniors in this country have the potential to do well, with the right programs and level of support it takes to move on up.
    Keep paving the way for more of our juniors to do the same……
    and let there be depth in this country !!

  • Helen

    I still think that Bernard should have received a qualifying wildcard and not a main draw wildcard. For him to suggest that he can mix it with the big boys when he was handed the opportunity and did not have to fight it out through qualifying like our other more highly ranked Aussies is a bit laughable. Whilst I am sure that Bernard is talented – let’s hope that getting everything so early on doesn’t destroy what potentially could be a promising player.

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