Struff after Aus “mega-disappointed” – Hanfmann out too

Even an hour and a half after his surprising first round at the Australian Open, Jan-Lennard Struff was still struggling for explanations.

“I’m just mega-disappointed,” said the 30-year-old Warsteiner. The German number two started the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season with very high expectations. After strong performances at the ATP Cup, Struff also wanted to go far at the Australian Open. But then he was suddenly thwarted by the Australian wildcard owner Christopher O’Connell. 6: 7 (2: 7), 6: 7 (5: 7), 1: 6 it was said after a little more than two hours from Struff’s point of view.

“I was hoping to take the momentum from the ATP Cup,” said Struff. But on court seven of the facility in Melbourne Park, he was never able to build on his performances in the team competition. At the ATP Cup, he scored important points for Germany against the Canadian Milos Raonic and the Serbian Dusan Lajovic and also convinced in the narrow three-set defeat against the strong Russian Andrej Rublev. In addition, you could rely on the Sauerlander in doubles as so often.

But against O’Connell there was suddenly nothing more to see. “It was just a catastrophe today,” Struff admitted with consternation. From the start he couldn’t take his chances. And when, in the tie-break of the first set, his previously good serve left him in the lurch, the set was suddenly gone.

Struff tried to stay positive and even earned a set ball in the second round. But when he did not convert it and lost it again a little later in the tiebreak, frustration and hectic took over the upper hand with the actual favorites.

“I just couldn’t believe it because I played so well at the ATP Cup,” said Struff, a little desperately. “I looked and searched today, but just couldn’t find a way,” said the number 37 in the world. «I invested a lot in the preparation. That’s why it really hurts today. “

Since Yannick Hanfmann also lost a little later, only Alexander Zverev and Dominik Koepfer are among the men from a German perspective. Zverev will meet the American Maxime Cressy on Wednesday, Koepfer will face title favorite Dominic Thiem from Austria. Hanfmann had no chance against the strong Russian Rublev at 3: 6, 3: 6, 4: 6. The 29-year-old from Karlsruhe had to admit defeat to the ATP Cup champion after 1:42 hours.

Surprisingly, Victoria Asarenka is no longer in the tournament. The two-time Melbourne winner from Belarus, who, like the failed Angelique Kerber on Monday, had to spend two weeks in strict quarantine before the tournament, lost to Jessica Pegula from the USA 5: 7, 4: 6. Defending champion Sofia Kenin from the USA and last year’s finalist Garbine Muguruza from Spain, on the other hand, progressed after two set wins.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210209-99-358110 / 3

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