Johannesburg, South Africa – For the first time in many years there will be two South African-born tennis players in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.
The 2018 Australian Open first-round draw has pitted 11th seed, Kevin Anderson of South Africa against Britain’s Kyle Edmund in Monday’s opening match on Court 3 at Melbourne Park. Both Anderson, 31, and Edmund, 23, were born in Johannesburg.
Edmund, with a world ranking of 49, will be Britain’s highest ranked player at the Australian Open and is the British No 2 behind the injured, Andy Murray. He had a career-high ranking in October 2016 when he was 40th in the world.
The Edmund family emigrated from South Africa to England when Kyle was three years old.
Anderson is the favorite to triumph in Monday’s ‘Battle of the Joburg-borns’ by virtue of his strong form in recent months. Last September, Anderson reached the US Open final and he’s enjoyed a few wins over higher world rated players since.
Edmund will be playing in his only second Aussie Open whereas Anderson will be appearing in Melbourne for the fourth time although injury forced him to miss the last two tournaments (2016, 2017). From 2013 to 2015, Anderson went out each time in the fourth round.
Last year, Edmund went out in round 2 at the Aussie Open.
There is also another strong SA connection at the Aussie Open. The Durban-born Craig Tiley is the Director of the Australian Open.
Tiley attended Bryanston High School, in Johannesburg, and later captained the South African Davis Cup team.
As the Australian Open tournament director over the past few years, Tiley was highly praised by players including former world No 1s Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka.
Thanks in the main to Tiley’s entrepreneurial skills, the Australian Open has become one of the biggest annual sporting events in the southern hemisphere.