Australian qualifier gets walkover after Osaka withdraws
‘The experience … it’s unbelievable, it’s like a dream’
The Australian Open’s clique of champions didn’t have it easy on Saturday. Jannik Sinner survived despite severe cramps. Novak Djokovic was almost disqualified for a near miss with a ballgirl. Stan Wawrinka played at Melbourne Park for the last time. And Naomi Osaka was an 11th-hour withdrawal from her third round clash with an abdomen complaint.
By comparison, Australian Maddison Inglis – the unheralded qualifier who at 28 is still hoping to crack the top 100 – had it easy. After the walkover from the Osaka match, Inglis waltzes into the fourth round and a clash with the No 2 seed Iga Swiatek, a week after she was almost eliminated in the first round of qualifying. “I was down two match points in that match,” she told Channel Nine. “Tennis is pretty crazy like that.”
Rather than Inglis v Osaka, Rod Laver Arena’s crowd were given a Saturday night consolation doubles match featuring Inglis’ fiance Jason Kubler and his partner Marc Polmans against Jakub Paul and Marcus Willis. “They were super pumped when they found that out,” Inglis said of the Australian duo. “I’m going to go out and watch a little bit and then get some rest, because it has been a big couple of weeks.”
