Limerick teen makes Australian Open history
Sunday, 24 January 2010 16:31Ireland's success at the Australian Open continued on Sunday as Limerick's Sam Barry became the first ever-Irish player to win a Junior main draw match at the tournament in Melbourne.
Barry defeated Victor Baluda of Russia in three sets 6-7 6-4 6-3.
His second round opponent will be Britain's Oliver Golding.
The Limerick teenager trains at the BNP Paribas National Tennis Academy which is operated by Tennis Ireland at DCU in Dublin.
Tennis Ireland CEO Des Allen was thrilled by Barry's success:
'Sam's win at the Australian Open is hugely significant for us.
'He is the first player from the Academy to win a Grand Slam match and we have been working towards this day since we first opened the doors in 2005.
'To win his first match in his first Grand Slam is a huge achievement for Sam and his coaches, the Irish Sports Council and BNP Paribas, all of whom will take great satisfaction from this.'
Meanwhile, Dubliner John Morrissey, ranked top 30 in world juniors, lost convincingly to Germany's Dominik Schulz 6-1 6-1.
