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Aussie Chris O’Connell gained beneficial confidence from pushing world No.16 Ben Shelton to 4 units within the second spherical at Australian Open 2024.
Melbourne, Australia, 18 January 2024 | Jackson Mansell
Chris O’Connell is assured a fruitful Australian Open 2024 marketing campaign will assist his quest to break into the world’s prime 50.
The 29-year-old entered this 12 months’s Australian Open at world No.68, his highest-ever rating at a Grand Slam event.
In his opening spherical, O’Connell fought again from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat former top-20 participant Cristian Garin and notch his first five-set win.
He then carried this momentum right into a second-round showdown with sixteenth seed Ben Shelton, the place he stole a set off the big-serving American.
“I feel I’m fairly near it, however you’ve received to have the wins,” the Australian stated on his top-50 aspirations.
“I can clear up a number of issues. I’m simply studying each match.
“I simply want a number of extra wins right here and there. If I am going a bit deeper in tournaments, I’ll be within the prime 50.”
It concludes a promising summer season for the hard-working O’Connell, who superior to his first ATP-level quarterfinal on dwelling soil on the Adelaide Worldwide.
“I’m fairly joyful as a complete with my January,” he stated after Shelton’s 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6(5) victory ended his Australian Open singles marketing campaign.
“I’ve loved my time right here this week and hopefully I can simply maintain enjoying good tennis, as a result of I feel I actually can break into the highest 50 and be aggressive.”
O’Connell now turns his consideration to the Australian Open males’s doubles competitors, the place he’s teaming with Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
They face the reigning champions, Aussies Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler, within the opening spherical.
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Trying forward in 2024, O’Connell is worked up to concerning the potentialities.
Solely 132 rating factors shy of the highest 50, the New South Welshman believes a excessive quantity of matches will help him attain that degree.
“Being wholesome, having a full schedule, selecting after I’m going to have my weeks off and selecting the tournaments I wish to play,” O’Connell stated on his plans to crack the highest 50.
“I’m aggressive in a few of the ATP 250 occasions, however I wish to push for a title at some stage and purpose to have good, strong outcomes on the larger occasions, the Masters occasions, and the three Slams left within the 12 months.”
Discover your method to play: Go to play.tennis.com.au to get out on court docket and have some enjoyable!
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