MELBOURNE: Top seed
Bruno Kuzuhara
won the
Australian Open
junior boys' title on Saturday, in an extraordinary conclusion to a marathon match that saw his Czech opponent
Jakub Mensik
collapse with cramp after match point and taken off court in a wheelchair.
Mensik won a long rally to make it 30-30 at 5-6 in the third and concluding set, but he was barely able to stand following that exchange and hit two consecutive double faults to hand victory to the American, who prevailed 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 7-5 in just under four hours.
"First of all, it's an unfortunate way to win it," said Kuzuhara in an-court interview. "I'm wishing Jakub a speedy recovery. It was a great fight. We pushed each other right until the end. Great match, if you're watching inside. Thanks man."
The 17-year-old Kuzuhara walked across the court to check on Mensik after the final point before officials arrived with a wheelchair to escort him off for treatment.
In the girls' singles final, Croatian top seed
Petra Marcinko
secured her first major title with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Belgium's
Sofia Costoulas
.
Start a Conversation
Post comment