The ATP tennis season proper is set to start with the Brisbane Qualifying Draw. Players ranging from experienced veterans to young unknowns are to start their seasons just days after welcoming in the New Year.
The top seed represents one of the biggest falls from grace of the last year. Ernests Gulbis started 2015 ranked 13th in the world, but won just eleven main draw matches last term, resulting in his needing to qualify for the Brisbane event this year. He will face big-serving Romanian Marius Copil in the first round of qualifying.
The most intriguing match-up of qualifying is likely to be second seed Ivan Dodig against local teenager and wildcard Omar Jasika. Jasika has been touted as the next product of Australian tennis predicted to join the likes of Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios, and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Top 1o0. At 18, there is plenty of time for Jasika, and his match against former top 30 player Dodig will be a key indicator of his off-season work.
Jared Donaldson, Dennis Novikov, and Yoshihito Nishioka are other young players in action trying to make the main draw.
Full Draw:
(1) Ernests Gulbis vs Marius Copil
Lukasz Kubot vs Yoshihito Nishioka
(2) Ivan Dodig vs (WC) Omar Jasika
Pierre-Hugues Herbet vs (6) Jared Donaldson
(3) Thiemo de Bakker vs Jurgen Zopp
Tobias Kamke vs (7) Norbert Gombos
(4) Tim Smyczek vs Matt Reid
(WC) Oliver Anderson vs (8) Dennis Novikov
-Picks to proceed from qualifying in bold.
