Fourth set. Tie-break. The younger-than-me teen sensation Bernard Tomic was leading two sets to one. Potito Starace was trying to even it up with two set points in hand.
The kid had never even seen what a fourth set looked like before. It was his first ever grand slam match as a pro.
But regardless, with the same fighting spirit Australian tennis was once renowned for, Tomic struck.
Starace’s advantage was wiped clear. Then it was Tomic holding set, err, match point. And then, with that backhand that is quickly becoming his trademark, Tomic was through to the second round of the Australian Open. 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6.
At 16, he became the youngest ever winner in the men’s draw of the Open.
How fitting is it that in a year when there are no genuine Aussie contenders to claim the men’s or women’s title, that Tomic would emerge in the way he did?
Of course it is too early to go around bandying him as the saviour – despite what a rogue editor on his Wikipedia thinks – but he can at least provide us all with some hope for the future. He’s someone we can get excited about.
The setting was perfect. Tournament organizers could’ve easily thrust him onto the big stage under the bright lights of Rod Laver or Hisense Arena, but instead chose the open-air Margaret Court Arena.
Far away enough from the spotlight, but still accessible for the fans lucky enough to find a seat.
Tomic himself at times appeared uneasy. Nerves must’ve played a big part in him dropping multiple set points in both the first and third sets, only to recover in the tie-break.
He might as well have sat out in the second set, which he lost 1-6.
But that could all be forgotten with just a mere glimpse of that killer backhand – something that never failed to ignite the small but patriotic crowd.
Channel Seven ran updates throughout the match covering the number of backhand winners each player had. At a late stage in the broadcast, Tomic lead the stat 18-1.
An enjoyable sight came near the end of the fourth set, when Starace appeared agitated by his young opponent.
Which was great. Tomic proved that not only can he make the leap from junior to pro, but he can even ruffle some feathers in the process.
It certainly came out of the blue for someone of his experience to be playing with such confidence at such crucial stages in the match. How many elite players can say they won three tie-breaks in their grand slam debut?
Nobody can say Tomic is out of his depth.
Better yet, nobody can say Australian tennis has dropped off the map completely. Even if, for the first time in a long time, we haven’t produced a “contender”.
In completely unrelated news, another Aussie youngster Brydan Klein defeated German Bjorn Phau in four sets.
Jelena Dokic’s comeback got off to a smooth start also, beating Tamira Paszek. More Aussies will be in action later tonight and tomorrow.
But enough about that, today’s accolades belong to Tomic.
Calling him the saviour may not be appropriate just yet, but at least he’s given us all something to look forward to.
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