Matosevic blows it at Aus Open playoff

Marinko Matosevic has blown a golden chance to return from the tennis wilderness by losing a five-set clash to emerging talent Omar Jasika at the Australian Open playoffs.

The combustible former top-40 player led by two sets and a break but lost his way at Melbourne Park on Monday, dumping the next seven games before falling 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 to Jasika.

In doing so, Jasika joined other first-day winners John-Patrick Smith, Gavin van Peperzeel and top-seeded Andrew Whittington in the last eight.

But third-seeded Matosevic will need to contend with qualifying for the Open in January if he is to reach his first grand slam main draw since Wimbledon 2015.

Matosevic, who was the ATP tour’s most improved player in 2012, saw his world ranking balloon as high as 435 during a difficult 2016.

The 31-year-old started confidently against the 2014 junior US Open winner and looked to have the measure of Jasika, 12 years and 147 rankings places his junior.

Buoyed on by “Omar’s Army” in the crowd, Jasika drew error after error out of his opponent in the third and fourth sets before triumphing in the decider.

Matosevic, who contested several line calls through the afternoon, declined a handshake of the chair umpire after the match.

The 16-man field is competing for a sole wildcard into January’s Australian Open.

Whittington survived a major scare and illness to win his first round match, outlasing teenage talent Max Purcell 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-2.

Australia’s sixth-highest ranked player coughed between points and sought medical assistance through the three-hour match in hot conditions.

Purcell looked to be getting the best of his higher-ranked opponent but dumped his first two service games of the decisive set, sending a ball onto nearby train tracks and thrashing his racquet on the court in frustration.

Whittington powered on in the fifth set to prevail and set up a match with John-Patrick Smith, a four-set winner over fellow Queenslander Maverick Banes.

Former junior Wimbledon champion Luke Saville retired in the fourth set from his match-up with van Peperzeel.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN WILDCARD PLAYOFF RESULTS – DAY ONE

1-Andrew Whittington def Max Purcell 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-2

Omar Jasika def 3-Marinko Matosevic 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4

4-Marc Polmans def Scott Jones 6-2 6-4 6-0

5-John-Patrick Smith def Maverick Banes 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-1

6-Chris O’Connell def Alex De Minaur 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

Gavin van Peperzeel def 7-Luke Saville 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 2-1 (ret)

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