Tristan Schoolkate vs Corentin Moutet news, reaction, Todd Woodbridge choking claim

MELBOURNE: Tristan Schoolkate defended his performance after being knocked out of the Australian Open singles draw in straight sets on Sunday.

The 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 loss came as no surprise.

Schoolkate, a 24-year-old from Perth, is ranked No.97 in the world while classy French shotmaker Corentin Moutet is the 32nd seed.

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But the door appeared to swing wide open for a Schoolkate upset when Moutet was forced to take a medical timeout early in the third set.

The 26-year-old returned to the court but continued to be badly hobbled by what appeared to be a painful hamstring injury.

Schoolkate couldn't take advantage.

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"He hasn't used a drop shot since the guy couldn't run," a bemused Todd Woodbridge said on Nine's coverage after Moutet returned from a medical timeout.

"He hasn't worked him from corner to corner... he's almost, dare I say it, choking at the wrong side of this. He's being lured in and outfoxed at this situation."

Wide World of Sports later asked Schoolkate whether he had any regrets about his tactics given Moutet's physical limitations.

"Oh, I think I did all right," Schoolkate shot back.

"I mean, I got to 3-0, 15-40. I had my chances and just didn't quite take it. Hindsight's a good thing in tennis, everyone likes to say what they could have done and should have done. It was a tough one today, but it's OK."

Schoolkate cruelled himself with unforced errors - spraying 49 of them compared with Moutet's 26.

It was his first time playing against the left-hander from Paris and he admitted he could have handled some aspects of the match better.

"It's tricky, I didn't really notice it (Moutet's injury issues) and then all of a sudden I saw he was bent over," he told WWOS.

"It kind of let me back in the match, I guess, him being a little hindered, but I think he got over it and he was fine to finish the match.

"It's never easy to play against that, I think if you ask most players that. If they say that they're not bothered or nothing like that, they're probably lying. I dealt with it as best I could, but he was too good...

"He's one of the most talented guys on tour, his hand skills are amazing. If I'm a spectator, it's great to watch. It's pretty annoying to play for sure. He plays some tricky balls and he's very, very quick."

Moutet was vague about his fitness when meeting with the media away from the afternoon sun at Melbourne Park.

Was it cramp, was it a hamstring strain, will it impact him going forward, we wondered.

"I was a little bit sick the last few days," Moutet revealed.

"Didn't sleep well, couldn't eat a lot, so maybe it's all connected, you know. It's a global thing. Most important is to get through it and deal with it in the best way."

WWOS asked one of the tour's entertainers whether he was surprised that Schoolkate was unable to manipulate him around the court after the medical timeout.

"I'm not him, you know," Moutet responded.

"That's not a question for me, that's more for him. I think we both try to do the best, with the conditions today. I don't want to speak for him."

Moutet drew some boos from the home crowd when he successfully served underarm on match point.

Schoolkate scrambled to get to the ball but hit his return long.

"No disrespect or anything," he explained.

"I could serve on the 'T', I could do whatever. I decided to do this."

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