Tennis: Venus endeavours bring the fans to their feet

Michael Venus in action against Lucas Pouille in the second round yesterday. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Kiwi puts up a good fight against polished Frenchman but his inability to take advantage of opportunities sees him bundled out of the Heineken Open after the second round.

It's been a long time since a New Zealand player lost a match at the Heineken Open and walked off to a standing ovation.

Michael Venus' performances of the past two days have given fans a feel of what it must have been like when Brett Steven was at his pomp in the 1990s, a home-town boy in the thick of the action at Stanley St.

Kiwis have rarely been competitive here over the past decade. Most matches were predictable - some resistance before falling away. Venus might have lost yesterday - 7-5 6-4 in just under 75 minutes to Lucas Pouille - but he showed plenty of fight and skill against an opponent on top of his game.

He rallied well, forced break-point opportunities and served well, but Pouille did everything just a bit better.

Pouille is ranked 136 but looks headed much higher. At the Paris Masters in October, he beat Ivo Karlovic (world No 27) and Fabio Fognini (20), and caught the eye of Roger Federer.

Venus had some windows of opportunity yesterday but they were quickly slammed shut. The 20-year-old Frenchman played an exceptional volley when facing a set point in the first set, and came up with perfect plays to defuse other break points.

"I had a couple of opportunities but, when I got chances, he didn't give me a chance to get in the points," Venus said.

The Kiwi - and the capacity crowd - were waiting for Pouille to falter, but it simply didn't happen. He played near-flawless tennis for most of the match, coming up with the correct options at the right times.

Venus found out "around lunchtime" that he was facing Pouille, after fifth seed Tommy Robredo succumbed to injury. The Spaniard may have been a better match than Pouille, who was coming off three tough qualifying matches. On the negative side, Venus was guilty of being impatient on some big points, going for winners from improbable situations. He also switched off momentarily in both sets, and was instantly punished.

"I played a loose game at 5-5 [in the first set]," said Venus. "I'd love to have it back but I can't change it. There was another game in the second set [with] some decision-making on a few points ... you lose a game and [then you are fighting to get back in there]."

But Venus has given himself a great platform for 2015, and reminded New Zealanders that men's tennis does exist in this country.

"There's been a lot of reaction," said Venus, who on Tuesday became the first Kiwi to beat an overseas player at the tournament in more than a decade. "My phone was going off [after the win]. I think it shows the up-and-coming kids that it's not that far off, that it can be done. I felt more relaxed on the court [yesterday] ... almost like a monkey off the back."

The world No 426 is expected to rise almost 50 places in the rankings, into the 370s.