Storm Hunter has once more spearheaded Australia’s problem at Wimbledon’s qualifying event, main a trio of her compatriots into the ultimate spherical with a spot in the principle draw only one tantalising win away.
Queenslander Hunter, up-and-coming Gold Coast participant Olivia Gadecki and Melbourne’s Marc Polmans all earned second-round victories on a rain-interrupted afternoon at Roehampton, a few miles from the All England Club, on Wednesday.
Hunter – previously Sanders, earlier than her marriage late final yr – is on a little bit of a roll after additionally being the one Australian to efficiently qualify on the French Open the place she reached the second spherical.
She once more earned a notable triumph at Roehampton, defeating Russia’s prime seed within the qualifying occasion, world No.64 Elina Avanesyan, in two robust tiebreak-settled units 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-2).
On Thursday, Rockhampton’s Hunter, ranked the sixth-best doubles participant within the sport however solely 162 in singles, will face Japan’s Nao Hibino, ranked 125, in a contest to earn the principle draw place.
Gadecki, a 21-year-old who’s one of many rising stars of the Australian girls’s sport, made good-looking progress with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of American Ann Li, and he or she’ll look to make her Wimbledon debut by beating one other teen, Spain’s 20-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Polmans, the lanky South African-born participant who has a liking for the grass courts and certified for Wimbledon two years in the past, needed to come from behind to beat American Zachary Svajda 4-6 6-3 6-3.
But the final Aussie man standing of the 5 who entered qualifying can have his work reduce out in opposition to German Oscar Otte, who solely a few years in the past made it to the fourth spherical on the US Open.
There was disappointment for Polmans’ Sydneysider colleagues James Duckworth, who went down 6-4 6-4 to Frenchman Harold Mayot, and Rinky Hijikata, the ninth seed who was crushed 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) by Chile’s Tomas Barrios Vera.
Slovakian Viktoria Hruncakova knocked out Melbourne’s Jaimee Fourlis 6-1 6-3, whereas Italian Lucrezia Stefanini ended the hopes of Brisbane’s Priscilla Hon with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
