Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
British No 4 Bedene eases through in Miami
ALJAZ Bedene eased through to the second round of qualifying for the Miami Open with a straight-sets victory over Italy’s Federico Gaio.
Bedene converted one of the four break points he won in the opening set to take it 6-4 before taking advantage of both of his break points in the second to close out a 6-4 6-3 triumph.
The 27-year-old will face Germany’s Tobias Kamke in the second round after he beat France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 3-6 6-3 7-5.
British No 3 Naomi Broady failed in her bid to qualify after losing to New Zealander Marina Erakovic.
Despite serving six aces to her opponent’s two, the 27-year-old lost the first set 7-5. Erakovic improved her service game in the second set to take that 6-4 and reach the second round of qualifying.
Bristol’s Katie Swan could not bag herself the early present of a secondround qualifying appearance four days before her 18th birthday as she lost 6-3 6-3 to Japan’s Risa Ozaki.
Swan’s hugely promising tennis career is back on track thanks to a little help from Andy Murray’s ‘back whisperer’.
Murray turned to Mark Bender in 2013 when he was contemplating back surgery and the physio remains a key member of his team.
Bender’s latest tennis client is 17-year-old Swan, whose path to the top has been derailed by a year of injury problems.
Swan said: “He helped me so much. It was amazing, it made me feel so much more confident knowing I didn’t have anything wrong with me.”
Swan has long been marked out as a star in the making and she reached the final of the Australian Open girls’ singles aged only 15.