Peer suffers early Australian Open exit

Shahar Peer has failed to qualify for the first round of this year’s Australian Open after she was beaten in her third and final qualifier on Friday night.

Up against Netherlands’ Richel Hogenkamp, the Israeli took the first set on a tiebreak, but it went steadily downhill from there for her, as Hogenkamp won the following two sets 6-3, 6-4.

Peer’s early exit – following on from Julia Glushko’s 24 hours earlier, means Dudi Sela is Israel’s sole singles representative in Melbourne this year.

He gets his campaign underway on Monday when he takes on German Jan-Lennard Struff. A win would likely see him then play the Czech number 28 seed Lukas Rosol, while the world number three seed, Rafael Nadal would potentially await him in the third round.