By JARROD POTTER
A HARD fought debut Australian Open campaign has not only put Omar Jasika’s name on the tennis map, but also put a smile on his face that nothing could wipe off.
Raised in Endeavour Hills – where he honed his skills – Jasika, 18, arrived in the big time after claiming a four-set thriller over Ukranian Illya Marchenko on Monday before facing number nine seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round.
Not many gave the Australian Open wildcard entrant a chance to advance past Marchenko but Jasika fought past his older opponent to take his Grand Slam debut 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 as the crowd got behind, what will hopefully be the next champion-in-the-making.
With the Omar Army – Jasika’s self-styled fan club – proudly roaring in the background for the 18-year-old, Jasika broke Marchenko late in the fourth set before serving out to take the win in two hours and 34 minutes.
“It was a good match,” Jasika said.
“The crowd was on my side today, which was a good feeling – they pushed me through.
“I just got momentum at the start, the first few games … the crowd picked me up a bit.
“My first big really match – it was a pretty good feeling to get through that.”
While his Wednesday night battle against Tsonga on Margaret Court Arena didn’t go to plan, Jasika managed to impress the tennis community as he pushed the hard-serving Frenchman 5-7, 1-6, 4-6.
“Fun out there … probably the best week of my life,” Jasika said.
“I’ll never forget this – I’d like to thank Tennis Australia for giving me the opportunity to play this week.
“I’ve built a lot of fans, I would say, around myself, confidence and just helps a lot.”
While not many teenagers breakthrough to make the Open – let alone win a match – Jasika isn’t letting his efforts go to his head because he knows there’s still a lot left to achieve if he wants to earn his place on the international circuit.
“I still think I have a little bit to go before I actually become, hopefully, a better player,” Jasika said.
“I think just the physicality, you know – just trying to sustain the same level throughout the whole match.
“I think he (Tsonga) got the better of me today (Wednesday) … definitely a stronger player.”
Most importantly, Jasika was thrilled to celebrate his first round win with his friends and family on his home-court.
“I had a lot of friends and family out there … got some good messages that made me smile, which is a good thing,” Jasika said.
Jasika’s Australian Open is sadly over for this year as he and Nick Krygios were beaten by number four seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 5-7, 3-6 in the men’s doubles.
