#NextGenATP Prizmic, Mensik reach final round of Australian Open qualifying

A new wave of #NextGenATP talent is making its mark this week at qualifying for the Australian Open.

The 18-year-old Dino Prizmic notched an emphatic 7-5, 6-0 second-round victory against his fellow Croatian Duje Ajdukovic on Thursday in Melbourne to move within one win of a main-draw appearance on his Grand Slam debut.

Prizmic, who won his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Banja Luka last August and upset Jiri Lehecka in Stockholm in October, won eight straight games from 5-5 in the first set against Ajdukovic. The No. 178 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings will next take on Aziz Dougaz, who beat Ryan Peniston 6-3, 6-2 in his second-round match.

Another 18-year-old, Jakub Mensik, continued his progess through qualifying with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 triumph against Federico Gaio. Mensik is chasing his second consecutive main-draw appearance at a major after he qualified for last season’s US Open — the then-17-year-old went on to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows before falling to Taylor Fritz.

Mensik will take on Harold Mayot, a 6-0, 6-3 winner against Hugo Dellien, in his final qualifying match.

Former World No. 7 and 2017 Australian Open quarter-finalist David Goffin rallied past Billy Harris 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to keep his bid for a 10th main-draw appearance in Melbourne on track. The Belgian will meet Gabriel Diallo next, after the big-serving Canadian beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(8).

Lloyd Harris, Hugo Gaston and Flavio Cobolli were among the other second-round winners on Thursday at Melbourne Park. Harris beat Kyrian Jacquet 7-5, 6-4 to advance to face Gaston, who downed Beibit Zhukayev 7-6(3), 6-3. Cobolli, who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals in December in Jeddah, moved past Benjamin Hassan 6-4, 6-3. The Italian will play Santiago Rodriguez Taverna for a main-draw spot.