Sweeny riding high in Toowoomba
After defeating the top seed in an opening round, local teen Dane Sweeny now faces Frenchman Alexis Musialek to reach a maiden Australian Pro Tour quarterfinal.
Toowoomba, QLD, 9 October 2019 | Asher Packman
With the remaining first round matches underway at the Hooper Accountants Toowoomba International on Wednesday; teenage wildcard Dane Sweeny went back to practice in the wake of an upset victory over the top seed.
“It’s the best win of my career in regards to ranking,” Sweeny, 18, said of defeating Marcelo Barrios Vera of Chile 4-6 6-1 6-2 – the world No.327 – on Tuesday. “I played really smart in the conditions and in the end, it got me the job done.”
The Queensland teen has been in solid form during the current Australian Pro Tour, pushing last week’s Brisbane champion Dayne Sweeney all the way in their opening round encounter.
“I really wanted to get that win but it gave me confidence and I will use that to back myself against these guys,” he said. “My ranking’s nowhere near them but I feel that I can bring a level that’s as good as if not better. I’m just believing in myself a bit more.”
Looking forward, Sweeny’s short-term goal is to play Australian Open qualifying in January. “I’ve just got to stay strong mentally and keep training hard and there will be good things to come,” he said.
Sweeny will face Alexis Musialek for a quarterfinal berth, after the Frenchman moved through courtesy of a retirement, with wildcard Benard Nkomba unable to continue down 7-6(0) 4-2.
Queenslander Moerani Bouzige progressed, winning a battle of qualifiers against Jake Delaney. Second and third seeds respectively, Harry Bourchier and Maverick Banes, also made safe passage, while Brisbane semfinalist Thomas Fancutt fell to Thai Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul.
Top seed Maddison Inglis made short work of Slovakian Tereza Mihalikova in the women’s opening round, winning 6- 6-1, while Olivia Rogowska (No.3) escaped a one-set deficit to defeat wildcard Alicia Smith.
Teenage qualifier Gabriella Da Silva Fick created the upset of the day in a match that went down to the wire, bundling out fifth-seeded Brit, Naiktha Bains, 6-1 5-6 7-6(5).
Live scores of all Australian Pro Tour events are available through www.tennis.com.au/protour/scores and for a live stream of selected events visit www.tennis.com.au/protour. For updates, follow @oztennisresults on Twitter.