Santillan bows out of Open in semis
Akira Santillan fell just two wins away from the boys’ singles title at the 2015 Australian Open when he was defeated by South Korean Seong-chan Hong 6-2 7-6(2) at Melbourne Park on Friday.
Melbourne VIC, Australia, 30 January 2015 | tennis.com.au
Akira Santillan fell just two wins away from the boys’ singles title at the 2015 Australian Open when he was defeated by South Korean Seong-chan Hong 6-2 7-6(2) at Melbourne Park on Friday.
With both Lleyton Hewitt and Tony Roche looking on, Santillan was left to rue a match-total of 45 unforced errors as opposed to his opponent’s eight in a match that lasted an hour and 15 minutes.
Hong, the 7th seed for the event, was clinical in taking the first set 6-2 in just 29 minutes.
Santillan improved in the second and saved three match-points to force it to a tiebreak. However, it was again a case of unforced errors that handed the ascendency to Hong who made the most of his opportunities.
Santillan can be pleased with his tournament, reaching the final-four after coming in as the 16th seed.
There is little doubting the potential and talent of the 17-year-old from Brisbane who will be a force to be reckoned with once he can produce his best form consistently.