Sela lets golden opportunity slip at Aus Open
DUDI Sela said losing to an unseeded played in the third round was frustrating but he was happy with his performance during a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 loss to Russian Andrey Kuznetsov on Saturday.
When Sela looked at the draw he was set for a second-round match against Rafael Nadal, but when Nadal lost to Fernando Verdasco in the first round, and then Sela beat Verdasco in the second round, the draw suddenly opened up for the Israeli tennis star.
“It’s frustrating for me because it was a good draw,” Sela said.
“To play someone that wasn’t seeded and someone that I beat before in the third round … it was a good draw.”
He told The AJN after the third-round match that the cold weather suited Kuznetsov. “The court is slower when it is colder and I think it suited his game more.
He played very good and he was hitting the balls really flat.” But Sela remained positive and said that it was a good start to the year.
Sela was the last remaining Jewish player in the main draw after American Noah Rubin lost his second-round match to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
Israeli youngster Yshai Oliel lost to Tao Mu in the first round of the junior boys competition 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and former Australian Open doubles champion Jonathan Erlich lost in the first round of the doubles tournament.
American Jewish player Scott Lipsky lost in the second round of the men’s doubles competition.
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