Ajla Tomljanović breezes into US Open quarter-finals with straight-sets win

Amid a despairing moment for Australian tennis three years ago, there was a realisation among the nation’s officials that they had blessed with another talent possessing significant grit.

Ajla Tomljanović, who continued her stirring US Open run on Sunday night in New York, emerged as a silver lining from a devastating Fed Cup final loss to France in Perth in 2019.

The 29-year-old, who saved eight set points in the first set when defeating Ludmila Samsanova 7-6, 6-1 on Sunday, was badly beaten on the opening day of the final.

Captain Alicia Molik had options in reserve for the reverse singles. But she sensed a rare steeliness in a woman who had overcome a terrible shoulder injury just to return to tennis.

After Ash Barty suffered a shock loss in the third rubber, Tomljanović found her best form to give Australia another chance when too strong for Pauline Parmentier.

The doubles and the chance to end a Fed Cup drought dating back to 1974 went begging. But Tomljanović earned great respect for her resilience and also the manner with which she consoled her distraught teammates in the aftermath of the loss.

The respect and admiration for Tomljanović has only furthered in the two years since. Handed the mantle of being Australia’s new standard bearer in women’s tennis by virtue of Barty’s surprise retirement in March, Tomljanović is revelling in the responsibility.

Her deeds at Wimbledon, where she lost to eventual champion Elena Rybakini in a quarter-final, and now at the US Open, demonstrate she is a force to be reckoned with.

The 29-year-old, who will jump to a career-high ranking in the low 30s at the very least at the completion of the tournament, could have been excused for a letdown on Sunday night.

Just 48 hours earlier