After bundling out 23rd seed Leylah Annie Fernandez, Aussie wildcard Maddison Inglis was overcome with emotion.
Holding her head in disbelief and smiling from ear to ear, Inglis soaked up the atmosphere after achieving her first grand slam singles win 6-4 6-2 over last year’s US Open runner-up.
“It [was] just a whole ball of emotions at the end – happy, nervous – and it was just so special to share it with family and friends here in Melbourne at the Australian Open,” Inglis told Nine’s AO preview show this morning.
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“So yeah, it was amazing.
“It is my biggest win and it is my first grand slam win, so it was a pretty crazy day yesterday and you know today I’m just soaking it all up.
“I love this tournament, it’s my favourite of the year and I’ve got doubles today so I’m doing my best to focus on that and then getting ready for tomorrow, so I’m really excited.”
In her second-round match, Inglis will face American world No.147 Hailey Baptiste tomorrow.
With Inglis ranked 133rd, the well-suited matchup should deliver a tight contest as both players vie for their first third-round appearance at a major.
Following her doubles match this afternoon alongside Jaimee Fourlis, Inglis said her focus would shift to preparing for tomorrow’s singles match, where she hopes to replicate her last performance.
“I’m definitely going to watch some footage tonight,” she said.
“I have a little bit of work to do as I haven’t played Hayley and I actually haven’t seen her play a whole lot, so last night was focused on the doubles and today I will, after I play, definitely watch some footage and get a bit of a game plan tomorrow.
“Going into (yesterday’s) match I felt calm and like I’d had a few experiences here [at the AO], so I think that helped a lot.
“So, I’m trying to keep it the same, nice and calm and just doing what I was doing in the days leading up – some good hits and being around some good people – and hopefully it goes the same on Thursday.”
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