Not a good start to the season for either Jay or Liam.

I note that Elliot Benchetrit (22 - "Banana Man" from last year's Oz Open), who was born in Nice, switched his allegiance from France to Morocco, the land of his father's birth, at some point last year & now lives in Morocco & represents it.  He almost reached QR2 without winning a set yesterday:  he lost by 4 & 3 to Denis Kudla, who had tested positive for Covid-19.  Apparently, "at 5-3, they got the result [of Kudla's test], so if I'd won that game at 5-3 to make it 5-4, I'd have qualified for the second round.  Now we're waiting to see if I'm considered a close contact."

and Kudla has of course now pulled out as well, letting Sweeny get a WO into the FQR. A bit of a messy situation and feel for Benchetrit.

On a more positive note, this will make him one of the highest ranked African players now, not sure where, I will need to check, but after Anderson, Harris, and then Jaziri in Tunisia perhaps?

Coup Droit wrote:

---

Pleased for Sweeny though.

(a) Always follow and root for the wildcards
(b) he's young, the same age as Jack Draper and Anton etc so lovely to get into the FQR of your own event
(c) I think he's really pretty short, about 170 cm, so huge credit to him - it's not east for a bloke who's 5ft 6 or 7.

---

Yes, that can see a potentially very promising career go west. All the best to him.