Swindon’s Giles Hussey called his 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open ‘what dreams are made of’, after claiming the greatest win in his career and defeating former French Open semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-2.
The World No.293 defeated his Italian opponent inside an hour-and-a-half and retained his flawless record on the South Coast, still yet to lose a set over two qualifying matches and the main draw.
Hussey, 29, has reached the last 16 of an ATP 250 tournament for just the second time in his career, having first achieved the feat in Eastbourne two years ago, when he made his main tour debut.
The Brit discussed where his week in the idyllic seaside destination ranked in his career and revealed who he first picked up the phone to speak to.
Hussey said: “This is what dreams are made of! Eastbourne has been pretty special to me in the past, and this week tops pretty much everything I’ve done in my career.
“There’s something about the air in Eastbourne obviously! It’s such a great feeling.
“I’ve just been on the phone with Tiernan Brady, who was one of my coaches at the University of Bath. He was with me two years ago.
“The first set was very good, I looked after my serve really well and then in the first game of the second set, I came up with a couple of the best shots of my life.
“It’s all still a blur at this point, but I had good people around me, telling me the right things, which made it easier.”
Speaking on court after the match, the Brit paid tribute to his coaching team, who he said helped him keep cool in sweltering conditions.
He added: “I think I came here with no expectations and just came out to have fun.
"When the weather's like this and you've got a home crowd, it's easy to play.
“I was a little nervous towards the end, you try to block it out when you’re thinking ‘I'm almost to the finish line’, but credit to my coaches in the corner.
“They were telling me to just keep being brave and moving forward. I had good success doing that all day, and that's when you want the team around you.”
Hussey was due to face young Brazilian high-flyer Joao Fonseca in the second round, but the second seed and World No.27 has withdrawn due to a shoulder injury. Frenchman Quentin Halys has replaced Fonseca as a lucky loser.
Halys, who made the semi-finals at Roland Garros in May like Arnaldi, will be Hussey’s second test against a Grand Slam contender during a whirlwind stay in East Sussex.
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