Aussie Tennis Players Struggle at Queen's Club, While Others Eye Wimbledon Run

The initial Australian contingent at the Queen's Club tournament, a key Wimbledon warm-up event, experienced a disappointing start. Both Alex Bolt and Chris O'Connell were eliminated in the first round without securing a single set victory.

While the outcomes were perhaps predictable given their opponents, the players did have the advantage of prior grass court experience, having participated in the qualifying rounds. Bolt's match against Jacob Fearnley, a rising Scottish player, resulted in a 6-2, 6-4 defeat.

Bolt, despite visible strapping on his right knee, moved well. He was broken early in both sets, but managed to reach 4-4 in the second. However, after losing the first point on serve, Fearnley capitalized, breaking Bolt's serve. Despite a strong effort to recover, Bolt was unable to force a break-back point, and Fearnley secured the victory.

Earlier, O'Connell, who had lost to Bolt in the qualifying rounds, faced a challenging opponent in fourth seed Holger Rune as a lucky loser. With short notice due to a withdrawal, O'Connell started strongly, creating a break opportunity in the third game. However, he failed to convert, and Rune, playing his first grass court match of the year, found his rhythm. O'Connell remained competitive at 3-4 in the first set, but Rune quickly closed out the set 6-3. Rune, ranked ninth in the world, broke again in the second set, winning it 6-4.

In other matches, Dan Evans, a British wildcard, secured an upset victory against seventh seed Frances Tiafoe. However, Cameron Norrie, a former finalist, lost to Jakub Mensik. Roberto Bautista Agut also advanced, saving a match point before defeating Nuno Borges.

Looking ahead, Alex de Minaur is set to compete against Jiri Lehecka. De Minaur, seeded fifth, is returning to competition after a challenging Roland-Garros. Alexei Popyrin and Aleksandar Vukic will face each other in an all-Australian match, while Jordan Thompson will play against Jaume Munar.

In Nottingham, James McCabe, after qualifying, played against George Loffhagen. McCabe won the match 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).