Defying painful blisters and the unlikeliest of odds, Australian Chris O'Connell has come agonisingly close to earning the biggest win of his career against Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open.
The unheralded Sydneysider gave the former world No.1 all the trouble he could handle in their quarter-final in Doha before eventually succumbing 6-2 4-6 7-5 in just under two hours of absorbing combat on Thursday.
It was a remarkable rearguard action of skill and aggression from the 29-year-old Australian, who spent the first 20 minutes of the match resembling a matchstick man in a hurricane as Medvedev, riding a rich vein of form, threatened to blow him off court.
