Gael Monfils after winning the first set.Credit: Photo by Chris Hopkins
Entering the second set, two styles of play emerged.
For Sweeny, it was about getting Monfils to the net and pushing him down the court, with the 39-year-old reluctant to rush for drop shots and hunt down every ball like he might have in his younger years.
For Monfils, it was all about serving big and hitting the ball hard as he moved Sweeny around. The 24-year-old Australian was quick, but there was only so much short-cut he could cover at one point, especially with how often he ended up horizontal when pouncing on the ball.
Dane Sweeney celebrates winning the third set.Credit: Getty Images
But in the second set it was Monfils who lost momentum, Sweeny had nothing to lose and carried that mentality and resilience into the third.
It was three hours of hard work in the opening three sets, but Sweeny had to be careful not to let Monfils back into the match. For all the Frenchman’s obvious discomfort and fatigue, he has extraordinary resilience when it comes to five-set matches.
After a break in the fourth, Sweeny fought her way back into the set and grabbed a late break to serve for the match.
With two match points in hand, Sweeny sent a forehand winner down the line and collapsed to the court as the KIA Arena erupted.
Dane Sweeny breaks down after winning the first round.Credit: Getty Images
Sweeny will face big American Ben Shelton in the second round.
It wasn’t exactly a fairytale ending for Australia’s top seed Maya Joint, whose Australian Open singles debut ended in 92 minutes after losing in straight sets to Czech Tereza Valentová.
It was a frustrating performance for Joint, who was favorite to win the match but instead lost 6-4, 6-4 to an 18-year-old with nothing to lose.
The Australian lost in straight sets.Credit: Eddie Jim
Joint said she didn’t feel any extra pressure because of her placement.
“I got a lot of questions about it, and honestly, the seed didn’t feel anything different than a normal tournament,” Joint said.
“I wanted to do really well here. I thought I had a good chance. So it’s definitely a little disappointing after today, but I’ll try to get back to it next week.”
It was a different story for compatriot Taylah Preston, who won her first Grand Slam match with a victory at the KIA Arena on Tuesday morning.
“I think it makes it more special because I did it here at home in Australia,” Preston said.
“But obviously the first Grand Slam win at any Grand Slam is special. You know, it takes a lot of hard work and I’ve been working really, really hard on it. It’s nice to see it pay off a little bit.”
Australian wildcard Christopher O’Connell was not so lucky, losing in a tight five-set match to American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy.
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