News & Media

Qualifiers win through to main draw

30 December 2012, by Brisbane International Tennis

UPDATE 8pm: Australian Bojana Bobusic has fought her way into the Brisbane International main draw with a tough three-set win over Kristyna Pliskova – a player ranked 230 spots above her.

Soon after Brisbane local John Millman made it two from two for the Aussies, upsetting Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jnr. to reach the final round of men’s qualifying with a 7-5, 6-3 ledger.

Bobusic, handed a qualifying wildcard, broke her Czech opponent in the final game to claim a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in a match that lasted a little over two hours.

It has been a promising start entering the 2013 season for the 25-year-old, who secured a spot in the Australian Open main draw after winning the wildcard playoffs in Melbourne earlier this month.

“I’ve still got a fair way to go but it’s nice that things are coming together and [it’s nice] being able to get a few more wins under my belt,” she said.

“I actually really enjoy playing in the heat and humidity, for me it’s a bit of an advantage and it’s nice to know that physically I’m in good shape.”

It wasn’t as good a news for fellow Aussie James Duckworth, who claimed the first set in a tie-break before going down 7-6 (8), 2-6, 3-6 to Russian Igor Kunitsyn.

In other men’s qualifying matches, Donald Young defeated Germany’s Misha Zverev 7-5, 6-2, 20-year-old American Denis Kudla beat Ricardas Berankis 7-6(0), 3-6, 6-4, Czech Ivo Minar downed China’s Di Wu 6-4, 6-4 and American Ryan Harrison made it past German Bastian Knittel 7-5, 6-4.

In other women’s final-round qualifying results, Puerto Rican Monica Puig entered the main draw after a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, while Ksenai Pervak upset the top-seeded Vania King 7-6(0), 3-6, 6-3. Seventh seed Lesia Tsurenko toppled Russia’s Olga Puchkova in a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory.