Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis rides emotions to tense win but local hopes fade
Inspired qualifier Maddison Inglis has ridden an emotional rollercoaster in her first grand slam appearance in four years to book a spot in the Australian Open third round. Inglis, a 28-year-old from Perth, joined the elite ranks of Alex de Minaur after a grueling 3-hour, 20-minute match against German veteran Laura Siegemund. The match was a tense, back-and-forth battle, with Inglis mirroring her first-round win over close friend Kim Birrell.
Inglis' journey to the third round was not without its challenges. After failing to secure a match point in the second set, her hopes seemed to dim. However, she turned the tide by breaking back when Siegemund served for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Despite an apparent injury late in the match, Inglis recovered and won the first-to-10-point tiebreaker, becoming the sole Australian woman to advance to the third round.
"I didn't come in with high expectations," Inglis said. "I can take it to anyone on any given day, but I wouldn't have dreamed of this. In the third set, the crowd gave me the energy I didn't think I had. Coming into this, I hadn't played a match for six weeks."
Inglis' performance has been remarkable, spending over six hours on court in her two main-draw singles matches, a doubles match, and three qualifying wins. Her current ranking of 168 is set to rise, and she has matched her best result at a major, achieved at Melbourne Park four years ago. With 11 Australians qualifying for the second round, de Minaur and Inglis are likely the only ones remaining.
Other Australian players faced early exits. Rinky Hijikata and Dane Sweeny lost to higher-ranked opponents, with Sweeny being blown away by American eighth seed Ben Shelton in just an hour and 42 minutes. Hijikata, despite an early loss to 30th seed Valentin Vacherot, fought back briefly in the first match of the day on Kia Arena, making the Monaco player work harder than anticipated. However, Vacherot ultimately won the match in four sets.
The Australian Open continues with de Minaur as the sole Australian to advance, and wildcard Taylah Preston taking a set off 13th seed Linda Noskova. Veteran wildcard James Duckworth faces a challenging match against dual defending champion Jannik Sinner on Rod Laver Arena. The tournament's third round promises more thrilling matches and the elimination of more Australian players.
