Made ready

from Latrobe Valley Express Wednesday 12 January 2022

Teams

Looking back to when Kyrgios saluted

By GREGOR MACTAGGART

THE honour roll of the AGL LoyYang Traralgon International reads like a who’s who of tennis. Much has been made through the years of Roger Federer’s 1998 triumph before he went onto greatness. Marion Bartoli, who won the 2013 Wimbledon Singles title, triumphed in Traralgon 12 years earlier. Other luminaries such as Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Jelena Dokic have also enjoyed success on the courts of the Latrobe Valley. Another name on that list is Nick Kyrgios. This year, he will be among the local contenders looking to win the Australian Open. But nine years ago, his sights were set on success in Traralgon. We dug out the archives to share with you Express reporter Sam Darroch’s story. Canberra’s Nick Kyrgios went one better than esteemed Australian predecessors Ben Mitchell and Luke Saville by claiming the Akubra at the AGL Loy Yang Traralgon ITF Junior International on Thursday. The second seed, a 17-year-old power player, overcame South African sixth seed Wayne Montgomery, who Kyrgios won last year’s doubles title with, in straight sets 6-2 6-1 to become just the fourth Australian to win the event. It was the new world number one ranked junior’s second grade one ITF title to date, but more significantly he will sit alongside Roger Federer as champions in Traralgon, which came as a thrill for the new title holder. “Before the semi-final I was looking at the board and saw him there and I got some tingles down my spine, I really wanted my name up there (in singles),” he told The Express. “There was a lot of expectation this tournament coming out as the number two seed and (with) Luke Saville last year making the final, I thought I sort of had a bit of a burden to carry, and I thought I played really well.” A big first serve, particularly under pressure, and heavy ground strokes were a key for Kyrgios, as he blew his former doubles partner off the court with his weight of shot. The long-levered Australian set the tone for the match at 1-1 in the first set when he served three consecutive aces to go from 30-40 down on serve to claim the game. Kyrgios then broke Montgomery in the following game to establish a 3-1 lead, and continually found clutch first serves to quash the South African’s attempts to hit back. After running away with the first set, Kyrgios again broke early in the second after a long deuce game to go 3-1 up, before breaking a second time to record an emphatic drubbing. “I’ve got a bit of size on Wayne and I knew I couldn’t let him run me around and dictate points,” Kyrgios said. “I knew I had to come out and serve well (and) my serve sort of got me out of trouble here this week. “I knew I had to play aggressive whenever I could and obviously that’s my strength, shrinking the court and not giving my opponent much time.” Slice of history: Nick Kyrgios plays this backhand on his way to Traralgon success in 2013.

file photograph

Kazahkstan’s Anna Danilina secured the girls’ title in Traralgon by defeating second seed Antonia Lottner of Germany in the final 6-4 6-2. Danilina may not have gone onto hit the heights like Kyrgios, but continues to be a player on the doubles circuit, winning the Poland Open in 2021.