The Kooyong Classic.
It is a tournament steeped in history.
It’s recognized as the “spiritual home of Australian tennis”
and each January, eight (this year twelve) of the world’s top male players are invited to complete
in this round-robin singles event.
Beyond the perfectly manicured gardens of the club, inside,
the honour board reveals a long list of past champions. And this is no ordinary
list. Michael Chang (1995–97), Andre Agassi (2000–01, 2003) and Andy Roddick
(2006–08) co-hold the record for most titles with three victories each. Chang
(1995–97) and Roddick (2006–08) share the record for most consecutive titles
with three.
Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt is the only one out of seven
Australian winners to have been titled the Kooyong Champion more than once
(2011, 2013). Other champions include Roger Federer, Mark Philippoussis, David
Nalbandian, Fernando Verdasco and Bernard Tomic.
Yet, there is another Australian quietly waiting in the wings
of the current Aussie leaders. No I'm not talking about Nick Kyrgios- but there is no doubting
the potential of NK and with victories over Stan Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco,
and the great Roger Federer to his name in 2015, the charismatic Kyrgios is a
favourite with tennis aficionados and the sport’s younger fans.
Instead, behind the media circus buzzing around Nick, Bernard and Lleyton
during his final summer, another Aussie has been almost hidden entirely from
the spotlight. His name; Omar Jasika.
Born in 1997, Omar is just 18 years of
age, yet will be launched into the spotlight next week at the Kooyong Classic. Jasika is the 2014 US Open Boys Singles Champion and achieved
a career high singles ranking of 259 on 3 August 2015.
He made his
ATP World Tour debut in September, after he was given a wild card into the
Malaysian Open. Drawing Rajeev Ram in round one, he won the first set, and was
within 2 points of the match in the second, before losing in three; 6-4, 5-7,
3-6.
It's never easy making the jump from juniors to the ATP
circuit, but with a bit of luck and a hell of a lot of hard work, there may
soon be another contender to join Nick, Bernard and Thanassi in the Davis Cup.
Suddenly,
the team is looking stronger than ever. It’s a good time to be an Aussie tennis fan.
The 2016 Priceline
Pharmacy Classic runs from the 12th - 15th January 2016.
