Johannesburg – South Africa's top tennis player Kevin Anderson has been knocked out of the Australian Open after going down to his nemesis Czech Tomas Berdych on Sunday.
Berdych, who was in the driving seat the entire match, powered his way to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Anderson in a match that lasted one hour and 58 minutes.
The pair have previously met on nine occasions during the last two years – including at the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open – where Berdych came out on top in all nine matches.
Anderson got off to a great start in Melbourne, scraping through the first round, beating Czech Republic's 82nd-ranked Jiri Vesely 2-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in his opening match.
He then beat Austria's Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, securing his passage to the next round of the tournament. In the third round, the big-serving South African put up a brave performance, beating Edouard Roger-Vasselin 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) 7-5. – Sapa