Apparently Samrej got in by winning the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff late last year, which is a pretty neat way to add a wildcard rather than just another Australian player. As somebody currently in the country, very cool to see and will be interesting to see what buzz this gets nationally. There is a bit of a tennis community here, but badminton and volleyball dominate in terms of court sports here.
I only saw the first set before falling asleep, a one-sided breaker, it turned out. It was extremely well-played, but Rublev found himself on the defensive way more than usual, and, to his credit, played very well for a player who is not known for his defense. But the breaker was a blitz for Fonseca.
Thank you for the information, Hossa. I hope it's a big deal in Thailand. A lowly-ranked, totally unheralded player taking two sets off a former world number one who is still among the five best players in the world? This is a case where being the runner-up in the manner he pulled off is itself an achievement. That is definitely cause for celebration back home. Always good to hear from you, old friend.
Rune is still very young. I wouldn't count him out yet.
