Lucky loser Robin Haase recalled the dramatic build-up to his first ATP singles win in two years at the Adelaide International 2 on Tuesday (January 10).
The on-site ATP manager called Haase in his Adelaide hotel room before an afternoon practise session before a doubles match to ask him to play a singles lucky loser slot.
He checked his watch and had four minutes to reach the court. Haase ran from his hotel room to reach the designated place before 2 pm.
Haase only got the call because the first lucky loser on the list couldn’t make it. Soonwoo Kwon and Christopher O’Connell, two additional lucky losers, made the main draw a day early.
Robin Haase told ATP Tour:
I was the day’s second lucky loser, so of course I couldn’t get in because everyone was here. If there was anyone, I was second. So I got lucky. Then I rushed. Four minutes to kickoff.”
35-year-old mentioned missing his accreditation card:
I ran into the security guard because I lost my credentials while speed-walking. He said, ‘Hey, you need to get scanned’, and I answered, ‘Yeah just follow me, I’ve got to get on court.’ I advised security. Funny.”
Robin Haase saved a match point before defeating Benjamin Bonji for his first singles win since February 2021.
Robin Haase: “I used the first few games as a warm-up since I didn’t want to get injured.”
Robin Haase played Benzamin Bonzi unprepared. He warmed up the first few games to avoid injury.
“I didn’t have any warm-up, so I chose to use the first few games as a warm-up because I didn’t want to get injured,” Haase said.
Bonji won the first set and served for the second, improving the Dutchman’s skills. He recovered and saved a match point in the tiebreak to equalise. Haase:
“Then I played well. He served for the match, and I joked with my partner, “Every point I win now we do a short dance.” I broke him and got loose.”
Haase won 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6 after a third-set collapse (3). “He had a match point in the second-set tie-break, and then (in the) third set coming down from a break again was unbelievable,” he added.
Haase lost the next round to fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets.
