Tennis-Benchetrit faces 'double whammy' as COVID-positive Kudla wins qualifier

Morocco's Elliot Benchetrit nearly reached the Australian Open second qualifying round without winning a set on Monday but said news of his opponent Denis Kudla testing positive for COVID-19 came one game too late during their match.

Morocco's Elliot Benchetrit nearly reached the Australian Open second qualifying round without winning a set on Monday but said news of his opponent Denis Kudla testing positive for COVID-19 came one game too late during their match. Fourth seed Kudla beat Benchetrit 6-4 6-3 in Doha to advance but the American is out of the tournament as he has to self-isolate following the positive test.

To make matters worse, 22-year-old Benchetrit said he was waiting to see if he should now isolate after playing Kudla. "At 5-3, they got the result (of his test). So if I'd won that game at 5-3 to make it 5-4, I'd have qualified for the second round," Benchetrit said in a video posted on Instagram.

"Now we're waiting to see if I'm considered a close contact or not. And if I am it's a double whammy. Because I lost the match, played against a (COVID-19) positive guy and they didn't get the result before the match. "And on top of that, I'd have to stay a week in the room (under quarantine)."

Men's qualifying for the year's first Grand Slam is taking place in Doha from Jan. 10-13 before players relocate to Melbourne to enter quarantine for two weeks.