Ajla Tomljanovic secures 'sweet' revenge over American, 'backflips' into Australian Open second round
Ajla Tomljanovic became the second Aussie through to the round two of the Australian Open in a matter of minutes after a gritty three-set "revenge" win over American Ashlyn Krueger.
Given a wildcard into the tournament, Tomljanovic took the first set, and looked in control of the second before a flurry of errors and some strong ground strokes allowed the 20-year-old to clinch the second.
But it was the 31-year-old veteran who got the early break in the third and never looked back, running home for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win.
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"Experience triumphs over youth," Sam Smith said in commentary for Nine.
"Tomljanovic backflips into the second round. My goodness, she earned that."
Ajla Tomljanovic celebrates defeating Ashlyn Krueger. Getty
Only about 20 minutes earlier, Talia Gibson booked her spot in the second round with a come-from-behind win over Turk Zeynep Sönmez.
The win was sweet revenge for Tomljanovic, who lost to Krueger last week in Adelaide.
"It felt sweet to play her again and get another chance," Tomljanovic said with a smile.
"I just wasn't as aggressive in the second set when I had that 4-3 game and I felt like going into the third I felt I might as well learn something from going to three, I felt like I needed to be a bit more aggressive and be the one dictating the points because since we play similarly I think we both don't like when we're pushed.
"But yeah, it still got tricky in the end, even with a 4-1 lead, so it's just good to be through."
Tomjlanovic credited a supportive home crowd for helping to get her over the line.
"You know, this is probably the place where I get the most excited to play and the most nervous," Tomljanovic said courtside.
"To come out and play well and get the win, there is no better feeling.
"I felt like I had some really good practice the last two weeks here, in Brisbane, and in Adelaide as well. Thank you for giving me a wildcard."
Tomljanovic will play Diana Shnaider in the second round, likely on Wednesday.
