Dubai: Alexei Popyrin, a former ball kid in Dubai, secured one of his biggest wins in professional tennis when he dumped former top-20 player Marcel Granollers of Spain as the men’s qualifying rounds got underway at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, on Saturday.
Popyrin, who had taken up ball kid duties with younger brother Anthony at the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships, was handed a wild card during qualifying last year. This year, the Spain-based Australian was given a second chance with the wild card and the former ball kid justified it with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Granollers.
“This is an amazing feeling as I stand just one match away from entering the main competition on the very courts that I served as a ball kid a few years back. Honestly, I am way too dazed to even take in what is happening at the moment,” Popyrin told Gulf News after packing off the ex-world No. 19 in just 53 minutes to set up a final qualifying round on Sunday against Frenchman Quentin Halys.
“It’s one more match and that is what I am totally focused on at this moment,” he added.
Meanwhile, Indians ran into a mixed luck with former junior world number one Yuki Bhambri easing past Ivan Dodic in straight sets while Sumit Nagal retired with an injury while trailing fourth seed Blaz Kavcic 6-2, 2-6, 0-4 in another qualifying round match.
Bhambri was quick, swift and efficient while disposing off Dodig in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in just 52 minutes. The former Australian Junior Open champion will meet Germany’s Yannick Maden on Sunday. “For me, it is going to be one match at a time. The idea is to go as deep as possible in this tournament,” Bhambri said.
