Lajola Sole Survivor Among U.S. Boys at Australian Junior Open

Lajola Sole Survivor Among U.S. Boys at Australian Junior Open ~~~
©Colette Lewis 2006
Melbourne--
Hawaiian Dennis Lajola grabbed a place in the Round of 16 with a second straight three set victory, overcoming a case of nerves in the third set to dispose of Australian wild card Steven Goh 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

But the day's real drama came in Australian wild card Nick Lindahl's 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 upset of fifth seed Kellen Damico, with both players leaving the court in wheelchairs due to illness and cramping.

The match, which ended both comically and painfully, started normally enough, with a cool breeze pushing the morning clouds away. Lindahl took the first set with a let cord winner, but that was the last luck he would have for a while, as he lost the next nine games.

Damico's 3-0 lead was whittled to 3-2, and at that point Lindahl requested a trainer. By the time it was 4-4, Damico was serving sidearm to avoid using his cramping leg muscles and Lindahl could barely move in any direction. Drop shots were the most popular choice for both players, and at one point Damico even hit a drop shot service ace. Damico was broken at 4-4, but under the bizarre circumstances, Lindahl was by no means likely to serve it out, and, although he had one match point at 5-4, Damico fought it off and took the game.

With no tiebreak in the third set here in Australia, the prospect of the match going on indefinitely was unsettling. And at 5-5, Damico serving, the game went to five deuces before Lindahl finally broke. Lying face down during the changeover at 6-5, Lindahl did get to his feet without assistance, while Damico stood waiting, not willing to risk sitting down. At 30-30, the Australian summoned enough strength for a backhand winner, and managed a forehand that caught the baseline to mercifully end it.

Collapsing face down at the service line, Lindahl could not have seen Damico's racquet smash that followed the umpire's match call. Lindahl was quickly administered to by the tournament doctor and trainer, but both he and Damico managed to get themselves to the wheelchairs, although Lindahl insisted on the traditional handshake before he took his seat.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Damico was still planning on playing doubles, but Lindahl has withdrawn, in order to give himself a chance to continue in singles Wednesday or Thursday, when the third round will be played.

In Lajola's victory, he was able to break the hard-serving Goh three times in the third set, but he needed all of them to convert the win.

"I got tentative, and he took advantage," said the sixteen-year-old from Aiea, Hawaii who held leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the final set. But at 4-5 15-30, Goh gave him the gift of a double fault, and although the Australian wild card saved one match point with an ace, Lajola was ready for his second chance.

"I knew where he was going (with his first serve), because all during the match at break point he would serve it down the T." Lajola said. "So if he could hit it wide on match point, I'd give him that." But Goh continued his pattern, Lajola handled the big first serve and out steadied his much larger opponent during the ensuing rally.

"I had a mental breakdown, a sloppy game at 3-1 in the third set," Lajola said, "but I knew I had to step it up, and I'm glad I did."

Nate Schnugg and Chris Racz were eliminated on Tuesday, with Schnugg falling to 13th seed Luka Belic of Croatia 6-3, 6-4, and Racz losing to the surging Alexandre Sidorenko of France 6-2, 6-0.

Click here for official draws from the Australian Open website.

For additional photos of the U.S. boys playing in Australia, see ustaboys.com throughout the tournament