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Australian, Sam Groth, has set up a dream 2nd round clash with Thanasi Kokkinakis after beating Filip Krajinovic in straight sets on Hisense Arena.
In a dominant display of tennis by the big server, he was too powerful for the Serbian number 4.
His 24 aces and 62 winners illustrated how dominant the Australian was.
Krajinovic didn’t play badly today and only made 14 unforced errors in 3 sets of tennis.
When you usually do that, you go close to winning the match.
Unfortunately for the Serbian, his game let him down at the critical times in each set.
In the first set, he conceded serve in the 8th game of the set, to allow Groth to serve for it.
Despite having a break point on the Aussies serve in the next game, he couldn’t take the chance, and Groth won the first set.
In the second set, which went to a tiebreaker, Krajinovic struggled in the big points again.
Groth raced to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreaker, and had 6 set points.
4 set points later, Groth had the second set, and the momentum of the match.
He conceded only one break point in the match, in the first set, and Krajinovic was not given an inch by the Victorian on his serve today.
This pressure got to the Serbian and he faltered in the final game of the match.
At 5-4 down in the final set, Krajinovic slipped to 15-40, to give Groth two match points.
The Serbian saved the first two but couldn’t save the third which followed soon after.
A pumped Groth celebrated with clench fists as he secured his first win in the main draw of the Australian Open.
He now has the chance to make it two wins against Kokkinakis on Wednesday.
That match, which will be on a big court, is shaping up to be a belter.
One of these two players will be in the third round.
That will be brilliant to see.
For today though Groth can be happy with his first match win in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Victorian, Sam Groth, will be looking for his first main draw win at the Australian Open when he faces Serbian Filip Krajinovic today on Hisense Arena. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match from 5:00pm AEDT.
After winning his first ever Grand Slam main draw match at the US Open last year, against Albert Ramos, Groth will be looking to make it two wins in Australia against Krajinovic.
2014 was a breakout year for Groth as he made the top 100 for the first time in his career. He won his first ever ATP Challenger in Rimouski, and also made direct entry into a Grand Slam for the first time.
Groth has continued that form into 2015, making the quarter finals in Brisbane, and losing a tight match to Gilles Muller in Sydney.
Today he plays a winnable match against the Serbian number 4.
Krajinovic also had a breakout 2014 as he climbed from 126 spots during the year. He also won his first ever Challenger last year as well, winning the Vicenza title in June.
Krajinovic followed that up with a title win in Cortina.
The 22 year old also played for the second time in the main draw of a Grand Slam at the US Open. Today is his third appearance in the main draw and he is 0 wins and 2 losses at this level.
Krajinovic has been highly rated for a long time. His double handed backhand, which is his strongest shot, has been described by Nick Bollettieri as “Agassi like”.
The Serbian’s serve is also strong. He gets plenty of free points from it and serves plenty of aces. With Groth having the fastest serve in the world, this promises to be a match dominated by the serve.
This will be the first time these two have faced each other and I expect a close contest. Krajinovic can’t be underestimated by Groth and he can defeat the Australian today.
Groth is the favourite with the bookies and I agree with their prediction. The Australian is in good form and has played some brilliant tennis in the first two weeks of the season.
That form would put him inside the top 50 by the end of the year. If he plays like that, then I’m not sure Krajinovic can match him in intensity.
With a buoyant crowd behind Groth as well, it will be tough for Krajinovic to win. The Serbian may win a set, or two, but the Australian should secure his first win in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Prediction: Sam Groth 3-1
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