John Millman grinds past Tommy Robredo in opening round – Apia International Sydney 2013
Local wild card entrant, John Millman, stunned the former world number five, Tommy Robredo, in straight sets at the Apia International Sydney 2013 on Tuesday. He notched up a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the Spanish legend to power into the round of 16 at this
ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event taking place in Sydney, Australia.
The Australian underdog displayed brilliant tennis skills to outclass Robredo in their first encounter. After earning the fame in one hour and 10 minutes, the wild card not only took lead in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head
series by 1-0 against Robredo but also secured a place in the second round at this Australian Open lead-up event.
"We've played in them every day since we were six years old or whatever," said the Aussie in a courtside interview after bagging the match. "I think he's a bit more nervous than me at the moment. I want to knock off him and then get inside that Top 100."
Millman made a powerful entry at the NSW Tennis Centre. He drew the first blood in the fourth game and climbed to a 3-1 lead. The Aussie lost his edge in the very next game and eventually levelled the scores in the sixth game. However, he maintained his
intensity and after stroking out the last three games, Millman clinched the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 191st in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Millman kept momentum rolling into the following set. He swiftly pocketed his entire serves with conviction and required a single break of serve in the seventh game to steal the
show. The Aussie was never challenged with any barrier and cashed the lone break chance to seal the set with a 6-4 win.
Next in queue for Millman is the third seed, Andreas Seppi, who received a first round bye after being the top four players at this event.
"He'll definitely make me work out there. It's going to be a really stern challenge for me, but one that I'm going to look forward to," Millman reflected about his next match-up.
The sixth seed, Radek Stepanek, will accompany Millman in the proceeding round. He eased past the Spanish qualifier, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, in straight sets to progress.
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