Teenage tennis star is runner-up in Open final
JEWISH tennis player Sean Berman has fallen at the final hurdle, losing the final of the Australia Open Junior Boys' Singles competition on Saturday.
ADAM KAMIEN AT MELBOURNE PARK
JEWISH tennis player Sean Berman has fallen at the final hurdle, losing the final of the Australia Open Junior Boys’ Singles competition to 14th seed Brazilian Tiago Fernandes 7-5, 6-3 on January 30.
There were few easy points in the hard-fought contest, and the 17-year-old had his chances, but managed to convert just two of a possible nine break points.
Berman, who was unseeded in the tournament, went for his shots, but it was Fernandes who had the better of the big moments.
Berman started brightly, breaking Fernandes in the opening game of the first set and consolidating with an easy service game.
The Brazilian overcame a nervous start to break back in the fourth game to level the scores and get the set back on serve.
It was Fernandes that made the breakthrough, coming back from 40-0 down to break Berman in the 12th game and take the set.
Berman dropped his first service game of the second set to go down 2-0, but some big serving and a couple of scintillating forehand winners saw him get the break back in the fifth game.
However, Fernandes was equal to the task and broke back immediately. Leading 5-3, Fernandes found himself in trouble at 15-40, but Berman failed to capitalise.
He saved one match point, before an ace out wide ended his remarkable run in the tournament.
At the post-match press conference, Beran said: “Obviously I’m very disappointed, but I played a very good match. I gave it my all and there’s nothing I can do.
“I had my chances and maybe could have been even more aggressive. It’s just very disappointing overall, but I have to put it behind me now.
“Tennis is tennis. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get unlucky and I just wasn’t there today, I wasn’t able to convert [break points] and I thought I did my best and he played a very, very good match.”
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