Ireland’s Eoghan Jennings narrowly missed out on a place in the Australian Open boys’ singles main draw after a three-set defeat to Greece’s Odysseas Geladaris in the final round of qualifying on Thursday.
The 17-year-old from Westport, Co. Mayo went down 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, having earned his spot in the qualifying final with an impressive comeback win over Poland’s Jan Sadzik in the semi-final.
Jennings again found himself a set down early, but responded strongly to level the match by taking the second set. Geladaris, ranked No. 77 in the ITF Junior World Rankings, raised his level in the decider to book his place in the tournament proper, with Jennings currently ranked No. 133.
From their home in Mayo, Eoghan’s parents said;
“Wins and losses come and go, but this has been such an amazing experience. We are so grateful for the phenomenal support.”
Jennings had been aiming to become the first Irish junior to reach the first round of the boys’ singles main draw since Simon Carr in 2017. While he fell just short, the Mayo teenager can take plenty of encouragement from the week’s performances — particularly as he only gained entry to the event at the eleventh hour.
National Performance Development Director, Cian Blake said:
“This was a really valuable week for Eoghan. He competed well against strong international opposition, problem-solved after a difficult start, and showed he can sustain a high level across multiple matches. That’s exactly the kind of experience that accelerates development. The goal is now to use this week as a a catalyst to try and qualify for the other grand slams later in the year”
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