A victory over world-ranked Australian Marcus Daniels has put a smile on the dial of Jackson Bodle ahead of his upcoming European trip.
The un-ranked Bodle upset Daniels, ranked at 280 in the world, in the second round of the New Zealand under-18 junior championships at the Vodafone Tennis Park in
Glen Innes on Wednesday.
"I was very happy with the way I played, it's a big confidence booster just before I go away," he said.
Bodle, 17, was the major surprise package of the tournament before being knocked out in the semifinals.
But the highlight for the Whangarei youngster was the tough match against Daniels, whom he beat 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 to go through to the third round in the International Tennis Federation sanctioned event.
Bodle had earlier dispatched Aucklander Ben Taylor in the opening round and beat fellow Kiwi James Meredith in the third round 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.
His opponent in the quarterfinals was Australian Aaron Turner, whom he defeated 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Bodle's semifinal opponent was another Australian, Mark Verryth. Bodle lost 6-7, 5-7.
"I just couldn't break his serve. He's serves the ball at over 200km/h, but it was still pretty close," Bodle said.
"I did a lot better than I was expecting to because I was still getting over a bad flu," Bodle said.
Bodle leaves New Zealand to play in France and undertake training in Spain on July 23.
