University of Tennessee Athletics
Hensel Wins Again, Reaches Semifinals
December 18, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Dec. 18, 2009
Former Vol Kaden Hensel won his quarterfinal match of wildcard playoffs in straight sets Friday at Melbourne Park to take another step towards the Australian Open.
Hensel defeated unseeded Matt Reid 6-4, 7-6 (4) to move just two wins away from earning a wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open in January.
Hensel fell behind a break early in the first set but rallied back to win. Hensel and Reid exchanged breaks in the second set, and Hensel eventually pulled out the 7-6 win in a tiebreaker.
Following the victory, Tennis Australia asked Hensel if he expected to be one of the remaining four players still vying for the wildcard.
"After my first match? No," said Hensel, who had dropped his opening match to unseeded Jason Kubler in three sets. "I was off to a bad start this week, but I've played better as the matches have progressed."
Hensel, who was seeded seventh, recovered from his first-day loss to win a pair of two-set matches to lead his group in round-robin play. One of his wins included a 6-4, 6-4 upset of top-seeded Brydan Klein, who is currently ranked No. 202 in the ATP rankings.
Hensel is ranked No. 466. Hensel faces fourth seed Bernard Tomic in the semifinals Saturday in Melbourne. Because of the time difference, the match begins at approximately 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday and will be streamed live for free at this link.
In the interview, Hensel told Tennis Australia that although he has not faced Tomic in tournament competition, the two of them have practiced together before. Tomic, a two-time junior Grand Slam winner, opened round-robin play Monday by defeating junior John-Patrick Smith 6-3, 6-2.
Players Mentioned
