Jarkko Nieminen has knocked out 19th seed Tommy Haas late in the fifth set of a topsy-turvy encounter on day two of the Australian Open
Haas had a match point on serve in the decider but imploded to let the Finn back in, with Nieminen taking full advantage to claim an important victory.
The tone for a fiercely contested encounter was set early on, with Nieminen claiming the first set in a tense tie-break battle.
Haas rallied to break in the second and hung on to level the match, but soon found himself 2-1 down as a series of unforced errors caught up with the German in the third set.
Once again Haas showed resolve in the fourth and kept the match alive as the experienced duo geared up for a fifth-set decider.
Both players tightened up but Haas made a late breakthrough, going 6-5 up and becoming favourite to win the match.
Nieminen kept fighting and was there to capitalise as Haas crumbled at the finish line, winning three successive games to edge a dramatic encounter.
Liam Power
