Bernard Tomic’s hopes of ending a lengthy absence from the Australian Open main draw have been dashed, going down in straight sets to Arthur Fery.
The controversial Aussie star advanced to the second round of qualifying earlier in the week with a win over Hugo Dellien, but was unable to get past Fery in a 6-4, 6-2 loss.
It marks a fifth-straight year that Tomic hasn’t featured in the main draw at his home grand slam, with his last appearance coming in a second-round exit in 2021.
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Bernard Tomic. Getty
He survived four break points in the first set, with Fery leading 4-2, but it mattered little as the British player held strong on his own serve to take the advantage.
Things completely fell apart in the second set as Fery established his dominance and got the job done with relative ease inside an hour and eight minutes.
Tomic – the former world No.18 – did save a match point, but was unable to kickstart a comeback to bow out at 1573 Arena.
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He finished with just nine winners compared to Fery’s 25 for the match, while also coming up with 21 unforced errors and winning less than 50 per cent of his second-serve points.
The crowd in Melbourne were heavily invested in Tomic, cheering him on and chanting his name throughout the tough defeat, before clapping him off post-match.