South Australian Luke Saville has been knocked out of the Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger, losing to last week’s Melbourne Park ATP Challenger finalist and fourth seed Tatsuma Ito from Japan 6-3 6-2 today.
Ito will now meet 2009 Australian Open Junior Champion Yuki Bhambri in tomorrow’s quarter-finals after Bhambri survived a tense, tight two hour battle against New Zealander Michael Venus 1-6 6-3 7-6(4).
In the third of the other second round matches today, 2007 Australian Open junior champion Brydan Klein overcame 19 year-old New South Welshman Jordan Thompson 6-4 7-5 to set up a quarter-final match tomorrow against qualifier Bumpei Sato from Japan.
In today’s doubles semi-final, Ryan Agar and Adam Feeney had a comfortable victory over Queenslanders Mavrick Banes and Gavin Van Peperzeel 6-1 6-3.
Grey Street and Stockdale Road Primary Schools participated in the Australian Pro Tour Schools Experience today with children experiencing a MLC Hot Shots session as well as hearing from the tournament’s third seed James Ward and Traralgon favourite Ben Mitchell.
Tomorrow’s schedule features all four singles quarter-finals and the remaining doubles semi-final.
Second seed James Duckworth will meet two-time Traralgon defending champion Ben Mitchell in the second match on centre court.Duckworth and Mitchell met in the first round of this year’s Australian Open where Duckworth prevailed 8-6 in the fifth set in just under four and a half hours.
Top seed American Bradley Klahn, who this week reached his career high ranking of #123, will start the program at 10am with his quarter-final match against Thai veteran Danai Udomchoke.
Sato and Klein’s quarter-final will also commence at 10am with the fourth seed Ito and eighth seed Bhambri to follow.
Singles semi-finals will be played from 11am on Saturday with the doubles and singles finals to be held on Sunday from 11am.
