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 that at the Kigali 2 Challenger in Rwanda.
Tomic traveled to Kigali from India and entered the clay-court tournament 1600 meters above 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-old Nicholas 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.
Bernard Tomic, 2025 Kigali 2 Challenger© Stream screenshot
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.
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.
Bernard Tomic & Nicholas David Ionel, 2025 Kigali 2 Challenger© Stream screenshot
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.
Bernard Tomic & Nicholas David Ionel, 2025 Kigali 2 Challenger© Stream screenshot
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.
Tennis World USA