Aussie Sweeny battles through to Wimbledon main draw
Ian Chadband |
Never-say-die Dane Sweeny has kept a fond Australian tradition going by battling through qualifying to reach the Wimbledon main draw after a brutal four-hour slog in searing heat.
The diminutive Penrith-born player with the big heart roared back after getting whitewashed in the fourth set against tough Tomas Barrios Vera, handing the Chilean a ‘bagel’ of his own in the decider to win the final-round qualifier 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 0-6 6-2 in his first ever fifth-set decider.
Sweeny’s victory on Thursday (Friday AEST) ensured that Australia’s proud recent tradition of always having at least one player make it through all three rounds of qualifying at Roehampton to nail down a coveted Wimbledon place has continued for a 14th-straight edition.
“To do it in Wimbledon, the most special tournament in the world, maybe besides the Australian Open, it’s amazing. Yeah, incredibly special moment,” beamed Sweeny.
Yet things had looked grim when, earlier, Tristan Schoolkate and Chris O’Connell had both been beaten in straight sets in their qualifying deciders, leaving 25-year-old Sweeny the last one standing of the 11 Aussie men and women who’d entered qualifying.
But Sweeny, who’d been a set and 5-2 down in his second-round, three-set match against rising US star Darwin Blanch on Wednesday, was again proud of himself for showed real spirit in stifling conditions, with temperatures hitting the mid-thirties.
He proved far the stronger of the pair in that final set, as the Chilean’s game began to unravel in the furnace with 15 unforced errors.
It meant Sweeny has qualified for his first overseas grand slam after two Australian Open appearances, this year and in 2024.
He’s also continued a breakthrough 2026 in which he beat Gael Monfils in Melbourne for his first grand slam win and which has since seen him reach a career-high ranking of 126 after reaching the recent grass-court Ilkley Trophy semi-finals in England.
“Historically I’ve actually struggled a bit overseas and, and something I really wanted to get over because obviously being Australian you have to play 80 per cent of the year, maybe 90%, overseas. I think I showed I had the level a few weeks ago in Ilkley and I’ve been playing really good,” Sweeny said.
“To be able to now have an opportunity to compete against the world’s best on the biggest stage, I’m really excited — and I think I deserve it after three really tough matches in qualifying.”
O’Connell’s great run, which had featured seven wins on the trot including victory for the Nottingham Open crown at the weekend, came to an end at exactly the wrong moment as experienced Californian Mackenzie McDonald proved too strong in a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win.
Schoolkate, who had ended the singles career of British favourite Dan Evans the day earlier, went down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to Colombian Nicolas Mejia.
AAP