Former world no. 17 Bernard Tomc has yet to find his A-game in 2025. The Aussie earned back-to-back wins at the Brisbane 1 Challenger but failed to repeat thatat the Kigali 2 Challenger in Rwanda.
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Tomic traveled to Kigali from India and entered the clay-courttournament1600 metersabove sea level. The conditions were fast, but it's still clay, and Bernard suffered a 6-4, 7-6 loss in an hour and 54 minutes to the 22-year-oldNicholas David Ionel.
The Romanian claimed nine points more than the Aussie.Nicholas David struggled behind the second serve and denied four of seven break points. Bernard served at 47% and plagued his chances in the second set after creating four set points.
The former world no. 17 dropped 44% of the points in his games. Tomic faced eight break points and gave serve away four times, losing the critical points and hitting the exit door. The Aussie wasted a game point in the second game of the match.
He dropped an extended rally to lose serve and experience an early setback.Ionel held in the third game and forged a 3-0 advantage. The Romanian generated three more break points in the fourth game.
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Bernard denied them with service winners and a forced error and remained within one break deficit.The more experienced player closed the sixth game with a drop shot winner and made a push on the return in the next one.
The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist landed a backhand return winner, securing a break at love and returning to the positive side. The Aussie held for 4-4 and wished for another fine hold in game ten. Instead, he squandered a game point and placed a forehand long to offer his rival a set point.
Nicholas David converted it with a running forehand down the line winner, wrapping up the opener 6-4 in 44 minutes.Tomic secured a break in the first game of the second set and held in the next one for 2-0. Ionel faced two more break points in game three.
The Romanian denied them and kept himself in contention. The Aussie missed his chances and netted a smash in the next one to drop serve.Bernard clinched another break in the fifth game when his rival sent a volley wide and held at love a few minutes later for 4-2.
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The Aussie clinched the eighth game after a deuce and served for the set at 5-4. He netted a routine forehand to drop serve and allow his rival to extend the set. It went into a tie break, and Tomic created three set points after the rival's double fault in the ninth point.
The Romanian saved them and earned a match point at 7-6. Bernard fired two service winners, saving a match point and generating his fourth set point.Nicholas David denied it with an unreturned serve and wasted another match point at 9-8.
Tomic missed a routine volley at 9-9 and faced the third match point. Ionel seized it with a forced error, sealing the deal and sending the former world no. 17 packing.
