Tomic Advances Australia Fair

Bernard Tomic flew from the depths to pip Verdasco in 5 sets in the first round and for his next trick he would attempt the disappearing American illusion on former top twenty player Sam Querrey.  En route to this clash Sam encountered none of the drama "enjoyed" by Bernard as he slipped easily past a French player who must have been here by mistake.

Playing matches on Rod Laver Arena at night has never been a success for Tomic and Querrey hoped to extend that disappointment a bit longer.  With his first set performance the big hitting American put himself in prime position - a magnificent serving exhibition coupled with excellent forehands and other hands left the young Australian bereft of effective counter measures.  Unable to crack the Querrey serve, Tomic instead felt the stress directed into his hands and the one break of serve for the set resulted.  For the second match in a row Bernard needed to come from behind in order to take the chocolates.  Querrey 6-3 in quick time.

As set one changed into the next, so too the fortunes of the players did a 180.  Bernard the innovator chose his shots more prudently and managed to move Sam around the court to the point where he was unable to prepare and execute with quite the time and space he had earlier in the piece.  The  menace of the American power game had been reduced and Tomic dictated proceedings aside from one slip where he failed to consolidate an early second set break of serve.

Having tidied up his game, and achieved another break to lead 4-2, Tomic marched untroubled to a 6-3 set win to tie the match.  The shot selection and ability to analyse the game as it transpires before him is that of a man with many more years experience, and that makes Tomic a feared commodity, maybe at times at his current level, but more especially into the future when all parts of his game have matured. 

Tomic understood that breaking Querrey's serve would most likely be a rarity, and spend the majority of the third set ensuring that his own remained intact.  Serving second brings with it added pressure when 4-5 and 5-6 are reached.  That danger passed only to be replaced with another - the tie break. Tomic played it superbly, constantly worrying Querrey into rushed shots and poor footwork.  7-3 and the third set to Australia 7-6.

Winning the set in a tiebreaker worked perfectly for Bernard, as the tie breaker counted as Querrey's service game, leaving the supremely confident Aussie to serve first in the fourth.  Chances came far more regularly on the American serve, and despite not breaking him, one sensed that at 3-3 Tomic held sway.  Bernard confirmed this feeling when in the seventh game he finally broke Sam's heart and serve to lead 4-3. 

While almost all the crowd's concern had been for Tomic to win, it must be said that we had indeed witnessed a high quality tennis match whatever the result.  There were some terrific rallies - not long and laborious, and often decided with great winners.  Tomic's capacity to introduce an element of variety to his tennis negated Sam's big hitting, and the final game of the match was the third break of the American's serve - Bernard into the third round   3-6 6-3 7-6 6-3.