Making his 12th consecutive appearance at the Australian Open, Marcos stepped onto a packed Margaret Court Arena under the lights on Monday. The Aussie fanatics were out in force and Marcos' loyal contingent of fans that first cheered him to the final 10 years ago, looked to inspire him to the upset of ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Marcos battled for two hours and 26 minutes, but would eventually succumb to Tsonga 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The Frenchman, a finalist in Melbourne in 2008, grabbed the early advantage after securing a break in the third game of the match. He would eventually claim the opening set, but Marcos would have an immediate response. Dropping just three points on serve in the second set, he would fight valiantly to pull level at a set apiece after breaking to love in the 10th game.
He won eight straight points to close the set and momentum had momentarily swung in Marcos' favour. They would remain on serve until 4-all in the third set, but Tsonga would wrestle a break in the next game and once again in the fifth game of the fourth set before eventually prevailing. Despite the loss, Marcos fired 31 winners, including five aces, and won 76 percent of first serve points. He was particularly effective when coming forward, claiming 20 of 25 net points.
The Australian Open remains Marcos' most successful Grand Slam tournament, holding a 24-12 record. He will next compete at a pair of ATP World Tour 500 events in Rotterdam and Dubai in February.
