Weak end at Bernie's match as Tomic hopes sink in Paris

Bernard Tomic keeps battling on in the lower reaches of world tennis but it gets no easier for the 32-year-old former prodigy as he crashed out in his latest bid to return to the big-time.
Tomic, seeking to reach a grand slam main draw for the first time in four years, had given himself hope in the first round of qualifying at the French Open in Paris on Monday when he had downed the much touted Hong Kong youngster Coleman Wong.
But on a rainswept day at Roland Garros, reality bit in the second round on Wednesday when Tomic, a former top-20 player now down to 231 in the world, was beaten 6-3 6-4 by another of the new generation, 21-year-old Californian Ethan Quinn, before the weather caused an early suspension to the day's play.
Maddison Inglis was another Australian who failed to beat either the weather or her opponent as she crashed 7-5 6-3 to Russian Kristina Dmitruk.
They were the only two Australians to get their second-round matches completed, with 26th qualifying seed Daria Saville locked at two-games apiece in the opening set with Daphnee Mpetshi-Perricard, younger sister of big-hitting French star Giovanni, when the rains came.
Two of Saville's compatriots Astra Sharma and Talia Gibson didn't get the chance to start their matches, which were rearranged for Thursday.
Jason Kubler, now the last Australian standing in the men's qualifying draw as he seeks to join the 15 who have already made it to next week's big show, has his work cut out after losing the first set 7-6 (8-6) in his second-round qualifier with Japan's James Trotter before the suspension.
Among the nine men already set for the main event, Alexei Popyrin, the Aussie No.2, enjoyed a good win over Jacob Fearnley 6-4 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Geneva Open in Switzerland.
It's a real confidence booster for the 25-year-old Popyrin, who's had a difficult year with illness, injuries and a break from his successful partnership with co-coach Xavier Malisse but who believes he's finding his form at just the right time.
And two different generation of Aussie women players at the Morocco Open in Rabat enjoyed an encouraging day too.
American-born Queenslander Maya Joint, just 19, outplayed American Katie Volynets 6-0 6-3 to reach her first ever WTA claycourt quarter-final while 32-year-old Ajla Tomljanovic, the former Australian No.1, beat Italian Tatiana Pieri 4-6 6-2 6-4 to join the teenager in the last eight.
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