Tomic wins, Matosevic out of Eastbourne
Bernard Tomic has reached the second round at the combined ATP/WTA event in Eastbourne, yet compatriot Marinko Matosevic was downed in his opening match.
Eastbourne, England, 19 June 2013 | AAP
Bernard Tomic has reached the second round at the combined ATP/WTA event in Eastbourne on England’s south coast.
Tomic won his first match in almost two months, beating British wild card James Ward 6-3 6-4, while compatriot Marinko Matosevic fell 6-3 6-2 to Czech veteran Radek Stepanek.
Tomic meets Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who upset South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
The 20-year-old ended a four-match losing streak in style but said after the match he was still not fully recovered from the hamstring injury suffered during a first-round French Open loss last month.
The Australian gave his Wimbledon preparation a badly-needed boost and said more time on court this week would be crucial.
“My leg’s probably not 100 per cent but I’m feeling OK out there, which is a good thing,” said Tomic, a 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist.
“Every match I play here is going to be more confidence for me and every match here I’m going to have to use for Wimbledon, so hopefully my leg holds up every match I play and I don’t feel it.
“It’s good to win here and now I’ve got a chance of doing well here again I’ve got to play well tomorrow.”