KELLY COMEBACK
Horror start fails to slow down Victorian
TENNIS: A stunning turnaround from Dayne Kelly has lifted the Victorian to the spoils in the Toowoomba International at USQ.
Finding himself under the pump early, Kelly rallied when it mattered to secure a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over sixth seed Jacob Grills in the men’s final.
Grills was unrelenting in the opening set, punishing the serve of Kelly early on.
Three double faults in the second game gifted Grills the first break and a 2-0 advantage.
A pair of aces in the next game stretched the lead to 3-0, before Kelly was able to get on the board.
That would be as close as he got in the first set, with Grills finishing with another break to claim it 6-1.
Both players scrapped through the opening games of the second set, as they held serve through the first five games.
A determined Kelly fought back and claimed the first break to lead 4-2.
He was able to go on with it and close out the set 6-3 to force it to a decider.
Kelly was never in doubt in the third, racing through in quick order to round out the set at 6-0.
“I was struggling early on in the first set, but I had to try and get going somehow,” Kelly said.
“At the start of the second I just tried to reset the mind and every point just bounce around and get some energy going.
“I was feeling pretty lethargic out there. Grillsy was making it really tough and wasn’t giving me an inch, so I had to try something to get under his skin so to speak.
“He makes you earn every point and has got some great wheels on him. He gets around the court really well and is renowned as a great fighter.”
The win gives Kelly his second successive title after claiming last weekend’s Brisbane International.
“It’s the best run I’ve been on in terms of back-to-back (titles),” he said.
“It certainly feels good. It
sean.teuma@thechronicle.com.au
can be pretty challenging going from one place to another.
“You really have to lock it in mentally, something that over the years has been my biggest weakness.”
Top seed Maddison Inglis made it an Australian cleansweep of the tournament, downing Japan’s Kyoka Okamura 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 in the women’s final.
Inglis was at her dominant best in the opening set after Okamura held serve in the opening game, breaking her on her next three service games en-route to taking out the first set 6-1.
A strong start to the second set from the top seed saw Inglis break Okamura in the second game of the set, before the Japanese player hit back immediately to level things up at 2-all.
Eventually Okamura broke Inglis’ serve again in the ninth game to claim the second set 6-4.
Inglis managed to regather herself in the deciding set, dropping just 10 points to clinch tournament honours with a 6-0 third set.
Inglis said she was able to overcome nerves as she got on top early in the second set, ultimately recovering to secure victory.
“She’s a really tough opponent and I think I was a bit nervous and a bit stressed,” Inglis said.
“I put a fair bit of pressure on myself, and it was an upand-down game, but I’m really happy I could get the win in the end.
“I dropped off a bit. I got a bit of a lead at the start of the second (set). I wasn’t looking towards the finish line but thinking that I was getting closer (to winning).
“I was lucky early in the third to get that momentum back. I was a bit rattled after the second set.
“I played a lot better in the third set. I went for my shots a lot more and she missed a couple which helped me a little bit.”
Inglis said she was happy to come away with the title after coming in as top seed.
“It was an awesome feeling. I didn’t really come here thinking I was going to win it,” she said.
“Even though I was top seed, that often doesn’t mean much at all.
“It shows that you don’t have to be feeling your best, all you have to do is dig deep and fight.”
She will now take a week off before hitting the road to Victoria to compete in the Bendigo International.