Benchetrit faces 'double whammy' as COVID-positive Kudla wins qualifier
Last updated on: 11 January,2021 10:13 pm
Benchetrit faces 'double whammy' as COVID-positive Kudla wins qualifier
(Reuters) - Morocco s Elliot Benchetrit nearly reached the Australian Open second qualifying round without winning a set on Monday but said news of his opponent Denis Kudla testing positive for COVID-19 came one game too late during their match.
Fourth seed Kudla beat Benchetrit 6-4 6-3 in Doha to advance but the American is out of the tournament as he has to self-isolate following the positive test.
To make matters worse, 22-year-old Benchetrit said he was waiting to see if he should now isolate after playing Kudla.
"At 5-3, they got the result (of his test). So if I d won that game at 5-3 to make it 5-4, I d have qualified for the second round," Benchetrit said in a video posted on Instagram.
"Now we re waiting to see if I m considered a close contact or not. And if I am it s a double whammy. Because I lost the match, played against a (COVID-19) positive guy and they didn t get the result before the match.
"And on top of that, I d have to stay a week in the room (under quarantine)."
Men s qualifying for the year s first Grand Slam is taking place in Doha from Jan. 10-13 before players relocate to Melbourne to enter quarantine for two weeks.