A dream result for our late bloomer
LATE-blooming Sydneysider Aleks Vukic’s breakout summer now includes his maiden grand slam triumph in what he described as a “dream” result.
Fresh from reaching the first ATP Tour quarter-final of his career, Vukic recovered from losing the first set against 30th-seeded South African Lloyd Harris to score an upset 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3) victory.
Vukic didn’t shy away from what the moment meant to him, celebrating with gusto after Harris dumped a forehand into the net to seal his fate. The 25-year-old wildcard will next meet Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot in what shapes as a huge opportunity for one of them to advance to the round of 32.
“I’m over the moon to have won my first grand slam main draw match, and to do it on that court (three) especially,” Vukic said.
“It was one of the loudest atmospheres I’ve ever seen, to be honest, and it was all for me and all for the Aussies and I couldn’t have done it without them – it’s a dream.
“You grow up as a kid watching that court and watching the pros and I never thought it’d become a reality.”
Vukic, who honed his craft in American college tennis, had the worst possible start when he left a ball he thought was going out to concede a break in the opening game.
That was all Harris, who outlasted another Australian, Alexei Popyrin, in a tense five-setter in the second round last year, needed to cruise to a one-set lead.
The contest began to swing in the 144th-ranked Vukic’s favour in the second set, but it wasn’t until his fifth break point – after failing to capitalise on four in the second game – that he was rewarded.
The Aussie went on the attack, rifling a forehand that Harris couldn’t retrieve, sparking a vigorous reaction from him as he soon levelled the match.
Vukic escaped some dicey moments in the third set, including saving a set point with a brilliant crosscourt backhand with Harris at the net.
He was well on top once the fourth set began but couldn’t drive home the advantage from three break points across Harris’ first two service games.
But another wild Harris forehand – one of 58 unforced errors – gifted Vukic a 3-1 lead in the tie-break, with the Australian skipping across the baseline in delight.
Vukic showed no sign of nerves and a brave, changeof-direction backhand earned him a match point that he duly converted.
He credited his strong form on the secondary Challenger Tour late last year and improved mentality as the impetus for his impressive start to the new season.
“I was kind of racking up matches and playing well and I was in a really good head space, so I’ve continued that,” Vukic said.