Ajeet Rai got off to a great start in his first round qualifying match at the ATP Challenger in Playford when Zak Talic double faulted to lose the opening game. The Australian did hit a couple of gorgeous forehand winners in the next game, but he was forced into return errors after the only deuce in the set, allowing Rai to hold serve. Talic hit another beautiful forehand winner in each of the next two games, but they, and the two that followed, also went with serve. His next game was poor, though, ending with a double fault, and Rai held to love to complete the set after 25 minutes.
There were two great rallies in the opening game of the second set, both of which went to Talic as he carried on to hold serve. The next three games followed suit, Rai winning the last of those to love after he had given himself game points with a beautiful cross-court backhand winner. Although it wasn’t the longest rally in the match, the fantastic 11 shot exchange which started the next game was certainly the best, and it was ended by a fabulous forehand volley from Talic which nearly rivalled his fantastic forehand return of serve in the second game as the shot of the match.
What he didn’t know then was that he would win just six more points in the match. Two that he didn’t were the last two in this game, sending unforced errors over the baseline to give away the break. Rai held easily to consolidate the lead, but there was plenty of action to come. Talic started the next game with a beautiful forehand winner down the line, but two unforced errors were succeeded by a backhand from him being forced into the net. The longest rally of the match came next, lasting 17 shots, and at least Talic was able to win this one when he smashed away the final volley. That only delayed the break of serve by one point, Rai forcing him to hit a backhand into the net.
Rai hit a beautiful forehand drop shot to give himself two match points, and a great serve to Talic saw his attempted backhand return go straight into the ground. The match had lasted 55 minutes, the final score being 6-2, 6-2. In the second round Rai will play the eighth seed, Jacob Bradshaw.