By Erik Gudris / Sunday, December 22, 2013

 

Sachia Vickery earned a straightforward win against Victoria Duval to win the Australian Open Wild Card Playoff final. Next stop: the main draw of Melbourne.

Photo Credit: Tennis Now

Call it "the thrill of Vickery."

Though she almost didn't make it into the Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs and battled throughout the weekend, Sachia Vickery walked away with the coveted main draw berth into next month's Grand Slam tournament. To do so, Vickery had to face off against pre-event and local favorite Victoria Duval who had not dropped a set going into Sunday's finals.

Both players showed some early nerves as each tried to settle into their games. After trading a pair of breaks, it was Vickery who knocked off a crosscourt forehand winner to eventually hold for 3-2.

It was those early winners for Vickery that gave her the confidence to step it up even more. "It gave me a lot of confidence," Vickery said. "As soon as I hit the first couple I was like, 'Ok I go for a little bit more.'"

Though Duval had gotten herself out of tough service games in her last two matches, she couldn't do the same against Vickery, who smacked off big returns from both wings on key points. That included a powerful backhand down-the-line return winner to go up 4-2.

From there, Vickery broke Duval again to close out the first set 6-2. Early in the second set, Duval upped her aggression and moved forward to close off points at net. While that proved successful, and got the local crowd cheering for her, Duval still stuck to trying to out-rally Vickery from the baseline with little to show for it. Vickery, looking calmer and more in tune with her game, connected on another to break for 4-2.

Serving for the match at 5-3, Vickery wobbled on her serve but reached 30-all. A mistimed volley from Duval soon set up match point. On the last lengthy rally of the match that Duval looked poised to win, she instead sent yet another forehand long.

Vickery, putting her hands to her head in disbelief, claimed the 6-2, 6-3 win.

It will be yet another main draw appearance at a major for the 18-year-old Vickery, who also reached the second round at this year's US Open. But after speaking to her mom and coach Kathy Rinaldi on the phone, Vickery admitted her accomplishment had still not sunk in.

"I think a week and a half from now when I'm in Auckland playing then it will hit me when I'm playing a match," Vickery said. "But now I can't process anything."

With last year's winner Madison Keys having used the event to springboard her way to a breakout 2013 season, the expectations will be on Vickery to perhaps mirror that success. But Vickery isn't thinking about that just yet as she continues to relish the moment.

"I’m just so happy to be in the tournament (Melbourne). I wasn't supposed to be in this tournament and I barely got in. I mean I can't ask for anything else. I'm just happy to be there."