Tasmania's highest ranked tennis player Harry Bourchier's 23-match winning streak has come to an end in unfortunate fashion at the Shymkent challenger in Kazakhstan.
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The 23-year-old fell in a third-set tiebreaker 6-3 3-6 6-7 to Chilean 12th seed and world no. 297 Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, who relinquished a break in the final set before taking the tiebreaker 7-4.
Bourchier had led 3-1 in the tiebreaker, but Vera held his nerve to win six of the next seven points in a set that lasted an hour and three minutes.
The loss followed a remarkable first round win which saw the Hobart talent come back from a set down, a double break in the third and three match points to beat Frenchman Antoine Escoffier 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Bourchier has started the season in career-best form after several injury-affected years, winning his maiden ITF title in Mornington, Victoria in March before backing it up at the same location a week later.
Ranked 412th in the world, Bourchier reached a career high singles ranking of 396 earlier this year.
Hamish Geale
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
