Aussie wild card Maddison Inglis rocked the Australian Open on Tuesday—and shook herself in the process.
Winless in four prior Grand Slam appearances, the Perth baseliner scored the biggest win of her career stunning US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2 in her AO opener.
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Pandemic protocol prevented Inglis from traveling home to see family recently, so the 133rd-ranked Inglis turned 1573 Arena into homecoming house party.
“I seriously can’t [believe it], I’m shaking, I’m super stoked,” Inglis told Australia's Channel 9 afterward. “I’m so happy to win my first round of AO. It’s amazing.
“I’ve had a few goes at it. I joked around, saying ‘third time lucky’. I’m really looking forward to keeping it going.”
The 19-year-old Fernandez showed her feisty spirt and guts in her inspired run to the US Open final last September. Fernandez upset two ex-champions—defending champion Naomi Osaka and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber—and toppled three Top-5 players en route to the Flushing Meadows final, including her riveting 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) win over fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina and 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 upset of second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Today, the 133rd-ranked Inglis matched Fernandez's burning intensity and served with more conviction. Inglis scored the lone break of the opening set in the seventh game and was not tested on serve building a one-set lead.
Inglis streaked through eight straight points and 12 of the first 13 points surging to a 4-0 second-set lead. She held off a late Fernandez rally for an emotional maiden major match win.
“I’m going to cry,” Inglis said when asked about the strong Aussie fan support. “I had a couple of really close friends [in the crowd].”
Fernandez's exit comes the day after 17-year-old Coco Gauff was bounced in the opening round. US Open champion Emma Raducanu faces former Flushing Meadows champion Sloane Stephens later today.
Meanwhile, Inglis moves into a second-round match vs. American qualifier Hailey Baptiste, who upset Caroline Garcia 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Photo credit: Getty