By TERRY MADDAFORD
The rankings pointed to a whitewash. Greg Rusedski, the odds-makers suggested, would hardly raise a sweat in dispatching New Zealand No 1 Mark Nielsen in their first-round match at the international tennis tournament at Stanley St yesterday.
Wrong. On both counts.
The temperatures, again close to 40 degrees on centre court, ensured the perspiration would flow. And no way was it over without a battle.
Nielsen said: "I went on to the court not expecting to lose. But for a few wrong choices in two games who knows? Apart from when he served full on, I was happy."
In taking the big-serving, English-based Canadian to 6-4, 6-4 in almost 90 minutes, Nielsen had proved a point.
The difference between Rusedski, the world's No 73, and Nielsen, at 262, was nowhere near as great as the numbers might suggest.
"I felt comfortable out there," 23-year-old Nielsen said.
"I have had a good preparation for this tournament."
But little could prepare him for a thunderbolt serve, especially on those big points when he might have been thinking he had a sniff of victory.
"He got himself out of trouble when he had to," Nielsen said. "He is a world-class player."
Rusedski, aged 27, opened with a 175 km/h serve after he had broken Nielsen in a drawn-out first game.
But it was no cakewalk. When he was patient, and could draw his opponent into a long rally, Nielsen was competitive.
There were service breaks only in the first and the fifth games of the second set. Both players served five double faults.
The aces - 15 to the Briton and just one for Nielsen - were the telling difference.
Nielsen said later he plans to be more adventurous this year.
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