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Down and just about out of both singles and doubles early, Vasek Pospisil a surprise survivor in the second week of the Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia – A few days ago, Canadian Vasek Pospisil was out of the Australian Open singles in the first round and moments away from being out of the doubles in the first round and on a plane home to Florida.
Things can change in a heartbeat in tennis, and out of nowhere, the 25-year-old is into the second week as he and American partner Jack Sock were the ones who officially ended Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt’s professional career in the third round of the men's doubles Sunday.
“It was a difficult match, a bit weird, tough with the crowd who wanted him to win, of course. But we were really happy to win,” Pospisil said afterwards. The match was halted for an extended period with the Can-American duo up up 6-4, 4-1 as the mother Hewitt's partner, Sam Groth, fell ill in the stands and needed medical attention. “It’s hard to see Lleyton end his career because he’s such a good person, competitor and player," Pospisil said.
Seeded No. 9, the 2014 Wimbledon champions had come back from the brink in their first round of doubles against Philipp Petzschner of Germany and Alexander Peya of Austria to win in a third-set tiebreaker.
It didn't even seem like a given that they would even play, given Pospisil's early exit and Sock's health issues the previous week in a warmup tournament. The American hadn't even eaten anything before their doubles match. Plus, he had rolled an ankle during his marathon five-set win over young countryman Taylor Fritz the previous night.
But they played.
The pair then received a walkover in the second round and on Sunday, defeated Hewitt and Groth 6-4, 6-2 to move into the final eight.
“That’s tennis. It can happen any time. You always have to be there in matches even if it’s match point. We were lucky to win the first match; we had chances even before the match points (against), but it can turn quickly,” he said. “It was the first match we’d played together this year. Then you get a bit of confidence, and anything can happen.”
Pospisil was out of sorts in a major way during his first-round match against No. 14 seed Gilles Simon, who ended up going on to administer a stern test to the seemingly unbeatable Novak Djokovic Sunday, a fourth-round contest won by the world No. 1 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Pospisil was beaten by Simon Monday in four desultory sets.
The conditions that day were definitely not ideal for a player who has an issue with excessive sweating but although it was steamy outside, that wasn’t Pospisil’s biggest problem; the Canadian headed overseas to begin 2016 with a lot of issues on his plate that remain unresolved.
The biggest among them is a split with longtime agent Sam Duvall (also the former agent of Genie Bouchard) after Duvall was among the many player representatives to exit the giant agency Lagardère in a major purge a few months ago.
There are issues relating to that separation that have to be handled. As well, Pospisil is in the market for another agent; that quest couldn’t come to fruition during the off-season.
But the Canadian caught a break on court: Pospisil and Sock’s next opponents (on paper), in-form No. 4 seeds Rohan Bopanna of India and Horia Tecau of Romania, were upset by No. 16 seeds Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers Sunday.
If the Can-American pair can beat those two, they potentially could face Pospisil’s countryman and frequent Davis Cup doubles partner Daniel Nestor in the semi-finals.
Nestor, teamed with Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in his 23rd and likely his final Australian Open, came back from a set and a break of serve down Sunday to defeat Pablo Andujar and Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to also reach the quarter-finals.
Not the demonstrative type – to say the least – Nestor even attempted a chest bump with Stepanek after the victory and had a huge smile on his face that you’re not guaranteed to see after he wins a major.
Nestor, too, caught a break with the draw; the No. 2 seeds, Ivan Dodig and world No. 1 Marcelo Melo, were upset by No. 14 seeds Treat Huey of the Philippines and veteran Max Mirnyi of Belarus, a former Nestor partner with whom he won the French Open doubles title in 2011 and 2012.
Mirnyi and Huey played together for the first time a week ago in Auckland, New Zealand, where they lost in the first round.
