Barton pipped by Stepanek in qualifying
No Aussies remain in Roland Garros qualifying after Matthew Barton was eliminated in a thrilling match by Czech veteran Radek Stepanek.
Paris, France, 19 May 2016 | tennis.com.au
Matthew Barton went down in a thriller to No.20 seed Radek Stepanek on Wednesday at Roland Garros, leaving no Australians remaining in the qualifying tournament.
Barton began strongly yet could not subdue the Czech veteran, falling 3-6 6-2 7-5 on a cold, windy, damp day in Paris.
Stepanek goes on to face the winner of the match between No.2 seed Yoshihito Nishioka and Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland.
Barton will no doubt be encouraged by his recent form, however; his win in qualifying equalled his best performance at a Grand Slam event, when he reached the second round in Australian Open 2013 qualifying.