Victorian Sam Groth has answered every challenge laid down by a volatile Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to secure his first win since the US Open.
Groth had to work hard over four sets to emerge with a 7-6 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory in two hours 38 minutes on what is starting to feel like his Australian Open home court at Hisense Arena.
“Never mind how long I was out there, but it’s definitely good to get a win,” Groth said. “First win since the US Open, so it’s good to get the first one off my back.”
Groth was twice placed under pressure by Mannarino during the match and on both occasions remained composed to clinch a solid win.
Groth trailed the first set tiebreaker 6-3 and roared back to win the next five points to take a one set lead.
After converting two break point chances and claiming the second set, Groth went missing in the third to give Mannarino a fighting chance.
But Groth got back on track in the fourth to close out the match.
Noted for his scorching serve, Groth left nothing in reserve in that aspect of his game, firing down 27 aces and smashing the radar gun with a 235km/h serve.
But Groth, 28, ranked 67th in the world, was happy with his all round game, which was significantly better than his recent outings.
“I thought I returned well today and I thought it was definitely better than the last couple of weeks [in Brisbane and Sydney],” he said. “Obviously I came in wanting matches and the last couple of weeks didn’t play as well as I wanted to.
“The end goal was always to come here and be playing well by the time I got to Melbourne. I think it’s a credit to me and a credit to my team that I was able to come out and beat a guy who is still ranked much above me.
“He’s a quality player. I think he was probably the favourite going into the match as well.”
Groth, a former Premier League player with Liston Tennis Club, will face one of the biggest tests of his career in the second round when he meets Brit Andy Murray.
Murray is coming off a confident straight sets win over Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
“It’s tough,” Groth said. “No. 2 seed and two in the world. He returns well, but I’ll try to come up with a game plan and give it my best shot. I will have the home crowd with me and I’ve got nothing to lose.”
