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Storm Hunter has again spearheaded Australia’s challenge at Wimbledon’s qualifying tournament, leading a trio of her compatriots into the final round with a place in the main draw just one tantalising win away.
Queenslander Hunter, up-and-coming Gold Coast player Olivia Gadecki and Melbourne’s Marc Polmans all earned second-round victories on a rain-interrupted afternoon at Roehampton, a couple of miles from the All England Club, on Wednesday.
Hunter – formerly Sanders, before her marriage late last year – is on a bit of a roll after also being the only Australian to successfully qualify at the French Open where she reached the second round.
She again earned a notable triumph at Roehampton, defeating Russia’s top seed in the qualifying event, world No.64 Elina Avanesyan, in two tough tiebreak-settled sets 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-2).
On Thursday, Rockhampton’s Hunter, ranked the sixth-best doubles player in the game but only 162 in singles, will face Japan’s Nao Hibino, ranked 125, in a contest to earn the main draw place.
Gadecki, a 21-year-old who’s one of the rising stars of the Australian women’s game, made handsome progress with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of American Ann Li, and she’ll look to make her Wimbledon debut by beating another youngster, Spain’s 20-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Polmans, the lanky South African-born player who has a liking for the grass courts and qualified for Wimbledon two years ago, had to come from behind to beat American Zachary Svajda 4-6 6-3 6-3.
But the last Aussie man standing of the five who entered qualifying will have his work cut out against German Oscar Otte, who only a couple of years ago made it to the fourth round at the US Open.
There was disappointment for Polmans’ Sydneysider colleagues James Duckworth, who went down 6-4 6-4 to Frenchman Harold Mayot, and Rinky Hijikata, the ninth seed who was beaten 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) by Chile’s Tomas Barrios Vera.
Slovakian Viktoria Hruncakova knocked out Melbourne’s Jaimee Fourlis 6-1 6-3, while Italian Lucrezia Stefanini ended the hopes of Brisbane’s Priscilla Hon with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win.
© AAP
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