Bernard Tomic kicked off his quest for an Australian Open main draw spot with a win after beating No. 25 seed Hugo Dellien 6-3 6-3 in the qualifying first round at Melbourne Park.
The former world No. 17, who hasn't participated in an Australian Open main draw since 2021, broke the Bolivian in the fourth game and that was enough for him to bag the opening set.
In the second set, Tomic continued to serve well and didn't give any openings to Dellien, all while also breaking the qualifying No. 25 seed twice to complete a two-set win.
In the qualifying second round, the four-time ATP champion will play against world No. 185 Arthur Fery. It will be the first meeting between the 33-year-old and the 23-year-old Briton.
Tomic aiming to make his first Grand Slam main draw since January 2021
Since losing in the 2021 Australian Open second round to Denis Shapovalov, Tomic hasn't played in a Grand Slam main draw. In the last few years, the former world No. 17 tried twice to make the main draw at his home Grand Slam, but failed after losing in the qualifying first round at Melbourne Park in 2022 and 2025.
As you probably know, Tomic's past comments about Lleyton Hewitt and Tennis Australia led to the 33-year-old being overlooked when it comes to wildcard selection for Australian tournaments. Recently, Hewitt said he was unsure why the four-time ATP champion was still playing.
“It’s a hard one – I don’t think anyone fully knows,” Hewitt told The Australian in November.
“I’m not sure if he doesn’t know what else to do, or if he still feels he has some unfinished business. It’s a tough one, but you’ve got to take your hat off to him in terms of the places he’s gone to, and the tournaments that he’s been playing the last few years, compared to where he was at centre stage and playing the big names."
