Australia leaves Flushing Meadows without a men's singles player in the second week after wildcard Dane Sweeny lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to seeded Italian Luciano Darderi. The 25-year-old from Queensland showed the tournament form that produced his best grand slam performance, but he could not sustain it against the seeded opponent.
Sweeny, ranked world No 123, said a hip problem affected his play and he never recaptured the timing that carried him through the earlier rounds. “It’s been an amazing week, a career-changing week, but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed just with today’s performance,” he said. “I just wasn’t really feeling it, just not really feeling the timing and the rhythm as I have been. Just made a lot of cheap errors and that was quite frustrating.”
Entry into the draw came late, after two withdrawals opened a reciprocal wildcard slot Tennis Australia originally intended for Alexei Popyrin. Sweeny made the most of the opportunity, advancing to the third round of a major for the first time and collecting $US290,000, equivalent to $A402,500.
He said the prize money will be ploughed back into his operation. “The financial side of things, that will help with coaching and people you travel with,” Sweeny said. “I’m always investing back in my tennis. That’s the number one goal, to do all I can to be the best player I can be, so I don’t really worry about spending on my tennis.”
The run also brings a rankings boost, provisionally set at No 109, a career high. With continued progress Sweeny could move into the top 100 by the end of the season, a jump that would secure direct entry to the Australian Open for the first time.
Sweeny acknowledged the result left unfinished business. “I was OK to lose a match, but I really wanted to test him more and bring a good level so I could make an absolute fight out of it. Win or lose, I wanted to really make him work for the victory at least and I wasn’t able to do that,” he said. He returns home with a significant pay cheque, a career-best ranking and clear targets for training and recovery ahead of the next events.
